unemployment

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Unemployment up

Written By: - Date published: 2:27 pm, February 4th, 2015 - 40 comments

We need a much better analysis of what kinds of jobs and conditions are out there in NZ, crude figures are not telling us enough.

The Northland by-election

Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, January 30th, 2015 - 163 comments

A by-election is imminent – so how does Labour win in a safe National seat?

Guest Post: from a Fairy Godmother

Written By: - Date published: 6:50 pm, December 29th, 2014 - 36 comments

How can young unemployed people get help in finding a job, when they have been trying to get one for some time?

Dodging the big decisions

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, December 10th, 2014 - 18 comments

Colin James has an excellent piece on the housing market. Simon Collins has a piece on the implications on young renters. Meanwhile, a number of other big problems are being ignored by National as well.

Valuing child care: beyond ‘show me the money!’

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, August 19th, 2014 - 10 comments

Simon Collins has published a very good article comparing various parties policies on social security.  As is the current trend, he doesn’t fully examine the deep and lasting contribution good child care & education make towards society & the economy.  It’s about material and social well-being.

Leading voices: TV debates

Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, August 9th, 2014 - 101 comments

There’s much to discuss on the two election-focused TV debates conducted over the last 24 hours. Prime TV’s new show: Prime Time with Sean Plunket – Bennett & Turei on poverty/inequality (Prime TV Fridays 9.30pm): TV 3’s The Nation: Saturday 9.30am

Spread the word: enrol to vote

Written By: - Date published: 11:09 am, August 4th, 2014 - 15 comments

Live News is reporting that 40,000 people have been removed from the electoral roll because they have moved address. Their enrolment update packs were returned to sender with the message: “gone no address”.

Tales from the left ground

Written By: - Date published: 6:34 pm, July 17th, 2014 - 26 comments

I was uplifted by seeing Team Carmel Sepuloni out campaigning in Henderson today.  Marama Davidson has been out on the ground in Otara.  The Internet-Mana Party have gone on a Road Trip.  There’s been an on-going left campaign in Ohariu…. what are the tales from the left, campaigning on the ground?!

Snapshot of a nation: inequality

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, May 24th, 2014 - 30 comments

Al Jazeera reports on damaging inequalities in Spain under “austerity”.  High unemployment; 30% of children  in poverty, political corruption, tax evasion & a focus on football.  Suggested ways to decrease income & wealth inequalities in NZ. Update: TV3’s The Nation: inequality & Wilson & Pickett interview.

John Key’s bullshit about rising inequality

Written By: - Date published: 2:41 pm, May 14th, 2014 - 86 comments

In Question Time today.  John Key has rejected evidence such census statistics, as reported on RNZ, that the inequality gap in Auckland is growing. He crowed about his government’s record & launched diversionary attacks on the opposition. Update: Question One video; Transcript links – Transcripts & other links updated. #realbudgetnumbers

Polity: Economic plans compared

Written By: - Date published: 7:08 pm, May 12th, 2014 - 9 comments

Labour looks at increasing jobs, wage growth, and having the government run surpluses. National looks at a 1% wage growth after inflation after years of falling real wages and no drop in real unemployment as being a sign of a healthy economy? Yeah right. Most of the growth in the economy is simply passing wage-earners by. It is going elsewhere. That is National’s legacy: strong growth for the fortunate few, lagging and insipid growth for everyone else

NRT: “A wish, a target, and a dream”

Written By: - Date published: 6:47 pm, May 12th, 2014 - 58 comments

No Right Turn shows that John Key has no real understanding of the economic and political history of this country. Probably because the last time another economic illiterate from National said that the prospect of reducing unemployment in NZ to below 6% was “a hoax”, John Key wasn’t here. He probably heard it from that illiterate, who once again is our minister of finance. Unemployment under Labour was as low as 3.3%

Second class citizens. Beggars belief

Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, April 29th, 2014 - 58 comments

Out of sight-out of mind seems to be the logic of Auckland City’s bylaw to come into effect next month, to outlaw begging on the streets. The clear message from Native Affairs report, ‘Walk on By‘, last night, is that the bylaw is the result of pressure from the comfortable middle classes. [Update: bylaw only says it’s an offence where begging causes a nuisance]

Stepping up: new energy from Kelvin Davis

Written By: - Date published: 10:20 am, April 23rd, 2014 - 115 comments

Labour has swung positively behind the change from Jones to Kelvin Davis.  In his interview on TV3’s First Line this morning, Davis was confident, down-to-earth, & energetic. Hone Harawira & Davis are strong candidates for Te Tai Tokerau and those struggling on low incomes. Both would be assets for a Labour-led government.

Highlighting the income gap

Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, March 31st, 2014 - 84 comments

A high proportion of Kiwis know that there is too big an income inequality gap. Economic power & media discourse too often work to maintain such inequalities.  How can knowledge and understandings be changed via the media, social media and creative political action?

National’s policy working – under-employment at record high

Written By: - Date published: 6:06 pm, February 4th, 2014 - 37 comments

Roy Morgan survey reports New Zealand under-employment – those working part-time but looking for more work – has jumped to a record high 11.3% (up 2.7%). Simon Bridges’ policies to create precarious employment seem to be working.

AAAP: grass roots action. Well done!

Written By: - Date published: 7:41 pm, January 24th, 2014 - 12 comments

A video by Auckland Action Against Poverty is a record of their work and achievements.  Narrated by Sue Bradford, it’s must see viewing for anyone interested in actions against poverty, grassroots campaigning, networking and direct action.  Very impressive!

Down among the women: limits of ‘growth’

Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, January 14th, 2014 - 97 comments

The GDP measure fails to account for life sustaining activities outside paid employment.  Women do the majority of such unpaid work.  A gender blind approach to financial crises is socially and economically destructive.   An alternative, cooperative social and economic model would attend to gender and other diversities.

Poverty denial

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, December 30th, 2013 - 230 comments

Here & in the UK: food poverty, increases in queues to foodbanks, in diseases of poverty, a crisis in affordable housing, & struggles & insecurites of the working poor. But poverty denialists blame the poor, smear beneficiaries, & talk of (always-around-the-corner) “brighter futures”.

Summer service: the real economy

Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, December 14th, 2013 - 47 comments

The summer holiday period is a time when consumerism is rampant, contradicting the traditional Christian message .  It adds pressure to those already struggling, especially those with young families. Places to support via time, donations, gifts, etc.

Making sense of the (un)employment stats: Census 2013

Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, December 12th, 2013 - 22 comments

Statistics NZ Census quick stats page is both useful and puzzling. Nearly a 3rd of adults are not in the “labour force”, unemployment stats mask true unemployment, the young and low income women particularly are struggling, distorted occupation categories, and more….. [Update: Occupation categories]

Census 2013: increase in inequality

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, December 4th, 2013 - 26 comments

NZ Census 2013 shows a widening income gap: rises for the haves; more struggle for the have nots.  Gains for women in education and some in the highest income brackets; more struggle for those on low incomes, especially beneficiaries impacted by Bennett’s punitive welfare reforms. Welcome to Key’s “Brighter Future”.

Poverty, women & rape culture

Written By: - Date published: 12:32 pm, November 19th, 2013 - 132 comments

In our highly gendered socio-economic system that has institutionalised poverty, gendered violence, sexual violence and rape culture, low income women are multiply disadvantaged.  Trigger warning: This post addresses some difficult and sensitive issues about poverty, women and rape culture. Subsequent comments will be tightly moderated.

‘Locked Up Warriors’: 101 East

Written By: - Date published: 8:20 pm, November 9th, 2013 - 95 comments

On 101 East on Al Jazeera. Too many people in NZ prisons, especially Maori: too many in poverty; too much money spent on prisons; not enough for low income communities; some very good community initiatives. Is this a fair representation?

Sir Edmund Thomas: “Reducing Inequality” – new ‘Values’

Written By: - Date published: 5:48 pm, November 6th, 2013 - 29 comments

Sir Edmund Thomas’s recent Bruce Jesson Lecture is now online.  He argues for a need to reduce inequalities, via a change in values away from those directed by “neoliberal” economics, & for a struggle from “below”.  Is this intended to soften capitalism & not replace it?

Outsourcing poverty: Paula Bennett’s shame

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, October 29th, 2013 - 51 comments

A charity is taking on the funding of the essential work on monitoring poverty, in the face of Paula Bennett, Bill English and John Key et al failing to do their job: a return to Dickensian & Edwardian times.

Because it’s all about “me”

Written By: - Date published: 6:24 pm, October 22nd, 2013 - 22 comments

Cunliffe talked of moving from a “from a cost-based to a values-based” strategy. We need a new narrative: valuing all, including children of those on benefits; about long term benefits for all of less inequality & poverty, and more affordable housing & better public transport, & more.

Insecure work in NZ’s precariat

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, October 9th, 2013 - 108 comments

A recent study gives a strong indication of the extent of, and the recent increases in, insecure work in NZ.  It is being released at the CTU conference today, along with the launch of  a campaign to improve worker security. [Update: Cunliffe to CTU on Labour pledges]

Vulnerable Children: The big picture

Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, September 18th, 2013 - 43 comments

Yesterday Paula Bennett introduced the First Reading of the Vulnerable Children Bill.  Nat MPs separated child abuse from issues of poverty and income inequality.  Opposition MPs from Mana, Labour & The Greens called the Nats on it, arguing for the bigger picture.

Tales from the precariat: AAAP

Written By: - Date published: 1:18 pm, September 13th, 2013 - 71 comments

Auckland Action Against Poverty did 3 days of advocacy action in New Lynn.  Their press releases & videos show the struggles of low income Kiwis to survive in John Key’s corporate-loving NZ.  The tales tell of a need for real social security legislation & a more client-friendly WINZ.

New Lynn Impact against poverty – action

Written By: - Date published: 4:47 pm, September 9th, 2013 - 8 comments

Last December I reported on the Auckland Action Against Poverty, Advocacy Activism in Onehunga.  There’s another one happening this week in New Lynn – starts tomorrow at 9am outside the WINZ office. [Update:] Press release from AAAP. Tales of despair: from the streets of New Lynn.

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