Nothing bouncy or humorous about NZ's unemployment rate

Four Auckland Action Against Poverty supporters, including Sue Bradford, who locked on to the regional MSD office in October will appear in the Auckland District Court tomorrow, Friday the 16th of November at 10am pleading not guilty to charges of willful trespass.

Their demonstration was a call for decent job creation - not intimidation.

“Auckland Action Against Poverty's determination to highlight the serious need for decent job creation – not intimidation, stands in strong contrast to Paula Bennett who continues to see unemployment figures as fodder for her attempts at comedy,” says Auckland Action Against Poverty spokesperson Sarah Thompson.

“Judging by Bennett’s flip and dismissive comment yesterday that the job market is ‘bouncy’, she is not listening to the deep concerns of the unemployed and under-employed that not enough jobs are being created.

“Not only were her comments inappropriate they were inaccurate – there is nothing bouncy about the country’s unemployment rate – it is only going one way; up.

“New Zealand's unemployment rate is rising 1.5 times faster than the OECD average. As Bennett would have it, based on her claims made in parliament yesterday, we are suddenly putting in 1.5 times less effort looking for work than the rest of the OECD.

“What research does Bennett have to back up her implication that people are not looking for jobs? The same research that shows that punitive sanctions will move people into work?

“We need decent job creation now – not Bennett relying on populist sentiment and stigma to account for this Government's lack of effective policy.”

ENDS

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Metservice: Where Will Snow Fall And What To Look Out For

The deep Antarctic air that is expected to sweep across the country this week is bringing very significant weather to many provinces.Here's the official MetService view of the key weather concerns for the country.

MetService Media and Communications Meteorologist Dan Corbett commented,"While snow will be a major issue for those in the South Island, wind and hail will affect many North Island districts."

Snow is expected to fall to sea level, or very near it, from Southland to South Canterbury from late Wednesday into Thursday and Friday. The snow level is expected to rise to 200m from about Christchurch northwards... More>>