Posts Tagged ‘unemployment’

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

We are beneficiaries

Written By: - Date published: 12:44 pm, February 8th, 2018 - 212 comments

The sick and twisted thing about right wing politics is that tories like a certain level of unemployment because competition for jobs is essential for keeping wages low. Then they treat the inevitable victims of this like it’s all people’s own fault. This is the single biggest reason why I don’t buy into the narrative […]

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.

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.

Unemployment rate up

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, February 2nd, 2017 - 12 comments

Despite National’s fiddling the figures on the way unemployment is counted, the unemployment rate is on the rise again.

Unemployment apples and oranges

Written By: - Date published: 1:11 pm, November 2nd, 2016 - 27 comments

A fall in the jobless rate is superficially good news, but most of the “fall” since May is due to changes in the way the measure is calculated. Wages remain flat, though less so for union members.

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.”

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.

NRT: 28,000 unemployed under National

Written By: - Date published: 2:02 pm, February 3rd, 2016 - 41 comments

No Right Turn (with a side of Bernard Hickey) on today’s unemployment figures.

Useless on unemployment

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, November 6th, 2015 - 73 comments

“Less debt more jobs” says National’s billboard. Instead we good the opposite. With extra helpings of icing on this Cake of Fail.

Youth rates and youth employment

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, June 29th, 2015 - 43 comments

Remember how National’s youth rates were going to raise levels of youth employment? Turns out not so much.

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.

Losing your job

Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, August 23rd, 2013 - 73 comments

David Shearer is not the only one to lose his job this month. It’s quite a list, when you add it up…

Unemployment worse than it looks

Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, August 9th, 2012 - 67 comments

Unemployment is up, and the real situation is worse than the figures suggest. Just how many more years of the Nats’ economic “genius” do you want NZ?

Reserve army of labour

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, September 1st, 2010 - 34 comments

Bill English came pretty close to admitting that the Nats are “relaxed” about our current high unemployment. Phil Goff came out swinging…

What, me worry?

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, June 24th, 2009 - 53 comments

Apparently, Minister for Unemployment Paula Bennett doesn’t like reading too much, She prefers to have things explained to her with whiteboards, charts, and graphs. Now, we’ve received one of those graphs with Bennett’s notes added. Seems she’s as relaxed about soaring unemployment as Key:

Bleak and bleaker

Written By: - Date published: 3:47 pm, May 28th, 2009 - 12 comments

Treasury’s main forecasts for the economy have worsened significantly since December: Nothing for jobs in the Budget. Tens of thousands more on the dole. We need better than this. – Marty G

665 jobs lost since Jobs Summit

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, March 6th, 2009 - 28 comments

If you believe the Government’s spin, protecting jobs in this recession is their number one priority. They even held a big fancy Jobs Summit to convince us they had it under control. But while that’s all very nice, I’m more interested in concrete actions that keep people in jobs. And right now I’m not seeing […]

Employment numbers have both good and bad news

Written By: - Date published: 4:04 pm, February 5th, 2009 - 23 comments

The new employment data for the December quarter are out and they’re surprising reading. Now, the media will grab hold of the headline unemployment figure. At 4.6%, it’s up from 4.2% in the September quarter and brings the number of unemployed over 100,000 for the first time since 2003, which is about what everyone expected. But what you have to […]

Unemployment to 3.9%

Written By: - Date published: 1:20 pm, August 7th, 2008 - 15 comments

Unemployment rose again last quarter but remains under 4%. It has now been under 4% for 16 of the last 17 quarters. Interestingly, the number of employed people also increased last quarter but more people came into the workforce who were previously not looking for work. So, workforce participation grew faster than employment grew, meaning […]

Seeking better work rights

Written By: - Date published: 1:51 pm, July 25th, 2008 - 10 comments

Seek has released analysis of the pay-rates offered by employers advertising on its site. It’s not a perfect measure and the figures are for the last quarter of 2007 but they still make illuminating reading. The average salary rose from $55,583 to $57,664 in the quarter but low-skilled pay-rates went backwards. Kitchen staff from $29,625 […]

The right incentives?

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, July 7th, 2008 - 25 comments

National tells us that, if we put the right incentives in place, people will work harder and their incomes will go up. National opposes the 39 cent tax bracket because they argue people would be incentivised to work more and earn more if incomes over $60K were taxed 6 cents in the dollar lower. They […]

The headline you didn’t see

Written By: - Date published: 1:40 pm, June 20th, 2008 - 94 comments

‘Unemployment benefits at record low.’ The number of people receiving the unemployment benefit has fallen to just 17,465. That’s the lowest number since at least 1979. At the same time, Sickness Benefit numbers fell 1,542 (3%) in the last year, DPB numbers are down 12% in the last five years. Overall, benefit numbers have dropped […]

Unemployment figures

Written By: - Date published: 12:03 pm, May 8th, 2008 - 52 comments

Unemployment rose from 3.4% to 3.6% between the December and March quarters. The number of people employed fell 15,000 from 2,162,000 in the December quarter to 2,147,000 in the March quarter. That sickening sound you hear is the Right celebrating because people have lost their jobs. An increase in unemployment was, unfortunately, always coming given the global […]