Today there has been a deluge of statistics on unemployment, and they make depressing reading for sure
- Unemployment at 6.5%
- 150,000 Kiwis out of work, up 12,000 over the past three months
- Highest unemployment in 15 years
- Unemployment up 37% since National came into office
- Maori Unemployment up from 12.6% to 14.2%,
Ugly numbers, but for many people it is so much more than just numbers, it is reality. In my electorate office, and I am sure in other electorate offices across the country, I have had a number of people badly affected by the loss of jobs. The woman who lost her public service job, at the same time as her son’s company that she had been a guarantor for went bust. The manager in his 50s who unemployed for the first time in his life was spiralling into depression. The graduates applying for, and missing out on, cleaning and retail jobs.
The statistics might show we are coming out of a recession but that is meaningless to those who have lost their jobs, and to the families that are affected.
The government is still to show us the plan to invest in people who have lost their jobs. In Australia there have been large scale investments in skills and training, and in research and development. In New Zealand we have seen cuts to adult and community education and research and development tax credits.
National used to talk a lot about the wage gap between Australia and New Zealand. Well here is another gap. New Zealand went into the recession with a lower unemployment rate than Australia. Australia’s unemployment rate is now 5.7%, stable this quarter. Our is now 6.5% up .05% this quarter.
Maybe Rodney is right, when it comes to jobs this is a do nothing government, seemingly without a plan.
Unemployment will slowly recover as the economy does (thanks to Obama & Co., not John Key, at least not as far as I can tell).
I love your background, Grant. I bet NYC was a blast. Went to a Ukrainian pizza place there once. Right after 9/11. Business was down 50%, they said, because people were avoiding the city. We spent as much as we could on our small budget.
From your bio, you would be an obvious pick to participate on the Otago Foundation.
Cheers, Andrew
So why did John Key go to Harvard for his management courses? A NZ school not good enough?
Now I understand where the elitism comes from and his disdain for education here. Blah!
My test scores and grades were high enough to go to Harvard too, but I knew where my roots were. Andrew
Or, for a little cheap psychology, since he started rock bottom and an immigrant, he didn’t have roots here. I actually feel for that, since I am a recent immigrant. Makes you feel like you are not part of the party, an outsider.
That might drive a person to become so successful and then come back and dominate politics here to sort of thumb one’s nose and say, “HA, you’re not better than me!”
If that’s the case, shorting New Zealand fits the picture perfectly.
I don’t like it, but I understand.