Finance Spokesperson

12 November 2015

NZ falls down OECD unemployment ranks

New Zealand is now 15th in the OCED for unemployment – a big drop from first ten years ago, Labour Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson says.

“Our current OECD ranking is the equal worst we have had since the 1990s. The two times we have been 15th have come under this National Government, which came to power at 10th in the developed world and hasn’t got above 9th place.

“That’s embarrassing for the Government, which has lost all ambition for New Zealand. Bill English can’t even commit to return this country to having the lowest unemployment in the developed world, saying that would be a ‘meaningless promise’.

“National consistently blames overseas economic factors and turbulent times. But that doesn’t seem to affect other countries. The rest of the world has seen unemployment decline since the GFC but it’s rising in New Zealand.

“When Obama won office in 2008, US unemployment was 7.8 per cent, it is now 5 per cent. At the same time in the UK, unemployment was 6.1 per cent, yet is now 5.3 per cent.

“When National became government in 2008, unemployment was 4.6 per cent, yet right now it is 6 per cent and forecast to head towards 7 per cent in the next 12 months.

“Behind all of these figures are real people who are struggling to find work and make ends meet. But instead of backing them National is leading us on a slippery slope down the unemployment rankings,” Grant Robertson said.

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