Strong hiring intentions survey is best possible news

Progressive MP Matt Robson says the strong hiring intentions' survey of employers released today lends support to the view that New Zealand's historically low unemployment rate is set to continue.

"This is the best possible news possible in the campaign against poverty and social injustice that we could ask for. There is no better tonic against poverty and inequality than the availability of secure jobs and the offer of steady, adequate, incomes," the Progressive MP said.

A private sector national employment survey out today by recruitment firm Hudson shows that employment intentions are at their strongest in five years, despite the official unemployment rate currently sitting at its lowest level in a generation. The semi-annual Hudson Report found a positive outlook across all industries surveyed for the coming six months. Among the employers surveyed, a net 41.7 per cent said they anticipate employing additional staff.

The report follows the Friday release by the National Bank showing that business confidence is on the up. The National Bank's own-activity indicator, which is a reliable indicator of future economic activity, found that a net 25 per cent of companies surveyed in May said they expect activity for their own businesses to improve over the next 12 months. That was up from April when a net 20 per cent of firms had anticipated an improvement in business activity.

"We have had all sorts of negative shocks to our economy recently. We have had the Bush/Blair shock of record high oil prices due to their illegal invasion of Iraq. We have had the negative impact of the collapse of the U.S. dollar.

"We have had the escalation in terrorism and the strengthening of the Al Qaeda-type fundamentalist organizations from Afghanistan to South Asia as a consequence of the stupidity of the Bush/Blair policies in the Middle East.

"Despite all of these negative backdrops, our economy remains resilient and there is little doubt that a significant contributor to our nation's strength lies in the regional and economic development policies that Progressive has brought to the coalition government," Matt Robson said.

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