The Standard » productivity

Re-run: Unemployment up, productivity up

Marty G — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 01:42:06 +0000

As I predicted in this post last year, productivity has risen sharply in the latest stats but for all the wrong reasons.The Herald gushes "NZ employers squeeze more out of fewer workers" but that's fundamentally wrong. We're getting less out of even fewer workers. "Labour input" fell 4.3%, while GDP fell 0.8%. Why anyone would think this is a Good Thing is beyond me.

The productivity lie

r0b — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:29:10 +0000

The Nats have upped the minimum wage by 25 cents. An increase of 1.9% that doesn't even keep up with inflation of 4% and is thus a minimum wage cut. On cue a tame economist opines that wage growth can only happen if we achieve productivity growth first. The only problem with this excuse is that over the last several decades productivity has grown significantly, and wages haven't followed...

Shifting the centre

IrishBill — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:05:29 +0000

Well the productivity task force is reporting back today and some of their ideas have been forward released. As we expected they are a grab-bag of unpalatable, short-sighted and frankly mad measures from the loony right including putting interest back on student loans, flat tax and means testing free childcare. As the official announcement comes ...

Unemployment up, productivity up

Marty G — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:51:20 +0000

Like here in New Zealand, unemployment continues to climb in America. And one of the results is soaring productivity. (sources: 1,2) But wait, isn’t higher productivity good? In normal circumstances, yes, when it comes about from capital deepening (ie businesses investing in equipment rather than taking profits) or a more educated workforce. But productivity will ...

Same old failed ideas

Marty G — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:50:43 +0000

The Government’s 2025 ‘productivity’ taskforce led by Don Brash will almost certainly come up with all the same old failed ideas that got us here in the first place. Expect a variation on the following themes: Scrap the minimum wage Privatise public assets Cut taxes for the rich Slash the public sector Deregulate, deregulate, deregulate ...

Gordon Campbell on Treasury and the resurrection of Brash

The Standard — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:33:31 +0000

Gordon Campbell has a great piece over at Scoop about Treasury’s latest ideological outburst and the resurrection of Don Brash. He points out the futility of choosing a man who played a large role in creating our wage gap with Australia in the first place to head a commission designed to close it: Brash wants ...

Fran pumping Brash for productivity taskforce

Eddie — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:34:39 +0000

A few weeks ago the NZPA reported that the Government had agreed to establish a taskforce to “work on ways to close the productivity gap between Australia and New Zealand”. The taskforce would be selected by ACT leader Rodney Hide and would be announced within the month. The story then sank without a trace. So ...

Key on wages

Tane — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:09:18 +0000

Key’s speech to the CTU today showed an interesting inight into how he thinks you lift wages. NZPA reports: He said it was not good enough for New Zealand to be in the bottom third of the OECD for per-capita incomes, but was cautious about tackling the issue by lifting minimum wage rates. “In reality, ...

Key promises productivity magic

Steve Pierson — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:50:52 +0000

Key reckons he could bring down inflation by targeting â€˜low quality’ government spending. How? To counter inflation, you need to increase productivity. Inflation is projected to run at 4.7% this year. The Government makes up a third of the economy. If Key was to bring that down to 2% by increasing Government productivity how much ...