7 August 2013

National failing job seekers

National are not doing enough to create jobs, the Green Party said today.

Household Labour Force statistics out today show that unemployment remains at high levels, rising to 6.4 percent for the June 2014 quarter.

“The National Government’s focus on dairying and mining is not creating the diversified economic recovery that creates jobs,” said Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman.

“The mining sector employs only 6,500 people, shedding 1,400 jobs from the last quarter, though there is some quarterly fluctuation.

“High value-added manufacturing has languished for five long years under National’s economic management.

“There are no signs of a recovery of any of the 40,000 jobs lost in the manufacturing sector since 2008. Manufacturing lost another 1,000 jobs this year, according to the Quarterly Employment Survey also released today.”

John Key has failed to deliver on his commitment to close the wage and living standards gap with Australia. He has also failed to close the large income gap within New Zealand. According to the OECD, the top 10 per cent of income earners enjoy average incomes nine times greater than the income of the bottom 10 per cent. This gap was only six times in the mid-1990s.

“Stubbornly high levels of unemployment are another sign of a recovery that’s leaving many behind,” Dr Norman said.

“New Zealanders don’t want to live in a society marked by division and inequality and an economy that fails to share its prosperity fairly.

“New Zealand has endured a quarter of a century of neoliberal economics that have led to persistently high unemployment, low wages, and increasing international debt.

“There is a viable alternative – a smart, green economy – one that will create well-paying jobs throughout the economy for all New Zealanders, not just for the benefit of a few.”
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