Hunua MP Warren Kyd today released unemployment statistics which go a long way to silence those who claim that National has done little to create jobs this decade.

Under National unemployment has decreased by over 4% in the last seven years. In contrast during the last five years of the 1980s Labour Government unemployment increased by nearly 5%.

Household Labour Force Survey statistics reveal that in the September 1985 quarter unemployment registered at 3.7%, or 59,100 people. When Labour left office at the end of 1990, unemployment was at 8.6%, with 140,000 people out of work. It continued to rise for about a year until National’s policies took hold.

Under National unemployment has fallen from its peak of 11.1% in March 1992 to 7% in the latest June 1999 quarter. Since 1991, 284,000 new jobs have been created.

“What’s more, unemployment in the Auckland region is down by 1.5% from a year ago. Today it stands at 6.2 percent. At the same time the number of Aucklanders in work rose 7,500 to 533,000. Nation-wide, there are more New Zealanders in employment than ever before.

“The sustained fall in unemployment shows that our economy is growing and the National-led Government’s policies are indeed working.”

Mr Kyd said it is the Government’s aim to continue to bring unemployment down, and the favourable trend indicates that this goal will be achieved.

“If the Labour-Alliance bloc ever got the chance to govern they would put such progress in seriously jeopardy. Simply put, higher taxes, higher interest rates, and scrapping the Employment Contracts Act would cost jobs.

“More New Zealanders are in work than ever before. This decade, National has made some substantial headway in creating employment and reducing unemployment. We can’t afford to let the Labour-Alliance bloc stunt our economic and employment growth.”

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