Huo: Wong blasé about record Asian unemployment

Labour Associate Ethnic Affairs spokesperson Raymond Huo says Ethnic Affairs Minister Pansy Wong must take action as the Asian unemployment rate continues to spiral out of control.

“Asian unemployment has bucked many of the national trends to rise by 0.6 percent since February to reach a record high of 9.8 percent. That’s a total of 22,400 unemployed Asians – up 1200 in three months,” said Raymond Huo.

“The Minister recently told me that ‘the Government is making economic growth a top priority’. Well, what message does she now have for the record number of unemployed Asians – the only demographic apart from Pacific people to experience a rise in unemployment according to the latest figures.

“For the past 18 months I have watched as Asian families have struggled through the recession. And now, as the country’s unemployment levels ease for the moment, Asian-New Zealanders continue to suffer,” Raymond Huo said.

“I have had enough of the Minister’s blasé attitude towards the communities she supposedly so proudly represents.

“Asian-New Zealanders deserve better. Minister Wong is in a position to make a real difference to these communities but token initiatives like ethnic business forums are not putting Asian people back into work,” Raymond Huo said.

“In fact these gestures are condescending and insulting to a community that is in desperate need of some strong leadership to lead them out of an employment black-hole.

“The feeling in the Asian community is that the Minister of Ethnic Affairs is sitting back, ignoring the shambolic policies her Government are enacting and not listening to the concerns of the Asian community on jobs,” Raymond Huo said.

“That has got to change, and it has got to change now. I ask Minister Wong to listen to the concerns of the Asian community and play a leading hand in reversing the spiralling unemployment rates," said Raymond Huo.

ENDS

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