unemployment

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Five days is a long time in politics

Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, August 6th, 2019 - 27 comments

Five days ago Simon Bridges predicted that unemployment had gone up.  The latest figures show that the unemployment rate is at its lowest rate for the past eleven years. Update: My enthusiasm was too high. It has been pointed out to me that the Bridges tweet was from last year. My apologies to Simon …

The hard change of forestry

Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, May 18th, 2019 - 98 comments

Forestry is forcing an important tilting point between mitigating climate change and land use, and it’s going to affect the viability of some North Island towns.

This Could Happen To You

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 6th, 2019 - 58 comments

For some reason, this story struck a nerve. An 80-year old had his 59-year career terminated by an impersonal e-mail from a faceless manager. Ironically, the manager on his public LinkedIn profile likes a post entitled “Treat a janitor with the same respect as the CEO”. Isn’t it sad that we now treat people as […]

Too many jobs being created

Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, November 7th, 2018 - 14 comments

The latest unemployment data showing the jobless rate falling to under 4% follows the equally bad 1.0% economic growth in the September quarter and a budget surplus of $5.5b, confirming the economy is going down like Donald Trump, as predicted by the ANZ Bank’s business confidence survey

Forward to the 70s

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, June 6th, 2018 - 112 comments

National thinks that getting back to full employment, having wages and conditions sufficient to allow a working family to live in decency on one full time wage, and home ownership rates of about 70% are a bad thing.

Squeeze

Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, May 13th, 2018 - 40 comments

This is as good a year as it is going to get to squeeze your employer for a fair wage.

Thank you Metiria.

Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, April 25th, 2018 - 94 comments

Some movement on social security (a thing we all deserve)

Employment Relations changes announced

Written By: - Date published: 1:28 pm, January 25th, 2018 - 20 comments

The Government has announced changes to the Employment Relations law which on the whole are positive and beneficial for workers.  But following New Zealand First lobbying the 90 day fire at will provision will be retained for small firms.

Why President Trump should be opposed by the left

Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, January 20th, 2018 - 52 comments

Ten reasons why Donald Trump is anti worker and bad for America’s working class.

Happy Oompa Loompas?

Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, October 14th, 2017 - 9 comments

Dunedin hosts a celebratory graduation ceremony for discarded labour.

When immigration means exploitation

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, June 15th, 2017 - 37 comments

Those arguing for unrestricted immigration are – wittingly or unwittingly – fueling higher levels of exploitation in NZ.

2040? The robots will have taken over

Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, March 8th, 2017 - 53 comments

Bill English’s new super plan falls between 2 stools. The super cost crisis that he’s trying to summon up, is before 2040 if it exists. The solution was the Cullen Fund. By 2040 you’re just adding yet another Baby Boomer cost onto GenX and the millenials, and there’s going to be a shortage of jobs anyway, without adding 65 & 66 year-olds to our dole queues.

Social investment meets the surveillance state

Written By: - Date published: 11:14 pm, March 4th, 2017 - 47 comments

First they came for the budgeting services. Now we know that every social service agency  has to provide clients’ private personal data to the Ministry of Social Development or get no funding. Apparently it’s  essential to Bill English’s much-touted and little understood “social investment” strategy, which is sounding more like something out of Orwell’s 1984. […]

Cadburys Dunedin to close with hundreds of jobs lost

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, February 16th, 2017 - 121 comments

Another blow to Dunedin.

Through the Looking Glass.

Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, October 31st, 2016 - 15 comments

The culture being addressed will be familiar enough to many here in NZ who deal with Work and Income. Government strategies to address that culture? Well, that’s another story. This isn’t just happening half a world away. It might as well be happening in another universe – back on the sane side of some looking glass NZ has fallen through.

Chloe King – John Key, I am a low waged worker, and neither “lazy” nor “drug addled”

Written By: - Date published: 2:39 pm, September 9th, 2016 - 254 comments

Blogger and social activist Chloe King, one of the hundreds of thousands of low waged workers in this country was devastated by John Key’s comments suggesting that she and others were lazy and had no work ethic. This is her response.

NZ: Home of Rugby, Raping and Beer

Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, September 8th, 2016 - 103 comments

The whitewash of the rugby players who assaulted a woman at a post season piss up has been released. A mightily relieved rugby boss Steve Tew can now go into the rest of the season knowing that the All Black squad will not be affected by the loss of any players to suspension. The only person to have lost their job over the incident is the victim. How cool is that?

Grant Robertson on the adjusted unemployment figure

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, August 17th, 2016 - 206 comments

“The sad reality is that while the change in measurement might elicit a lower number or percentage it will not mean one fewer person is unemployed.”

“Died at some point in the recycling process”

Written By: - Date published: 6:39 pm, July 4th, 2016 - 39 comments

Imagine taking shelter on a cold night and ending up crushed or asphyxiated to death in a compressed cardboard recycling bale.

Taihoa on Immigration?

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, June 7th, 2016 - 213 comments

Winston Peters has called for a slashing of migrant worker numbers and for screening of would be workers based on things like their attitude to women. Is it time for a taihoa on immigration or is Winston just doing a Trump?

We’re going to burn it all, until we burn it down.

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 am, May 20th, 2016 - 173 comments

What does it really mean to reduce NZ’s total fossil fuel use by 50% by 2030: a warm up discussion for an upcoming thought experiment.

Unemployment jumps

Written By: - Date published: 7:38 am, May 5th, 2016 - 212 comments

After eight long years of National there are almost 40,000 more unemployed than when they came to power.

Glasses and Brick Walls (& woods and trees).

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 pm, March 21st, 2016 - 47 comments

The thing about not having great sight is that sometimes you don’t really see things coming.

The great big list of John Key’s big fat lies (UPDATED)

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, January 27th, 2016 - 79 comments

How many more lies will John Key tell today in his so-called State of the Nation address? Virtual chocolate fish to whomever guesses the closest number.

Food Bank Charity

Written By: - Date published: 4:45 pm, October 30th, 2015 - 97 comments

Guest post from Kōrero Pono on the politics and ethics of food banks.

No, National shouldn’t have balanced the books.

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, August 28th, 2015 - 34 comments

Simon Louisson recently made a post about National’s profligacy, and all of the debt they have racked up. Guest poster Michael disagrees with Simon and says that “Yes, National was profligate.” and “No, National should not have balanced the books.”

250 to 300 Job Losses at Unitec in Auckland

Written By: - Date published: 10:23 am, August 8th, 2015 - 84 comments

Under Unitec’s new vision students will be known as Customers. Student services will be outsourced (overseas)

Aspiration statement
To be a world leader in contemporary applied learning and an agent of positive economic and social change
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A thinking opposition

Written By: - Date published: 7:36 am, August 1st, 2015 - 56 comments

So the news on Labour’s first paper from its “Future of Work” Commission revolves around “ex-Labour member” Phil Quin noticing some missing quote marks and National making gleeful diversions from it. But of course what is actually important is the content.

Parasite Drive; the NBR Rich List

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, July 31st, 2015 - 98 comments

The NBR’s annual list of the one percent is out. No surprises that the growing inequality in New Zealand is working well for the parasites at the top of the hill.

ILO – 75% of world jobs insecure

Written By: - Date published: 12:44 pm, May 20th, 2015 - 8 comments

Only a quarter of the world’s workers have permanent jobs. A worldwide trend away from secure jobs risked “perpetuating a vicious circle of weak global demand and slow job creation” that has dogged many countries since the 2008 crisis, the ILO reports. Decoupling of wages from productivity has led to a loss of aggregate demand the report estimates at $3.7trillion.

Human Synergistics, Richard Prebble, and the end of government

Written By: - Date published: 6:08 am, May 17th, 2015 - 64 comments

Back in March 1988 David Lange had a clear idea about what lay ahead for New Zealanders as the long-term consequences of Roger Douglas’ psychopathic worshipping of the metaphysical Invisible Hand gradually materialised.

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