With the neoliberal immigration floodgates wide open to prop up the property bubble, subdue wages and cause crushing weight on our infrastructure (not to mention the exploitation of many of these migrant workers) unemployment has shot up to 5.2%
NZ unemployment jumps to 5.2 per cent, as job market brings more into workforce
Unemployment jumped to 5.2 per cent at the end of 2016, with new entrants to the workforce swamping the number of jobs created.
The quarterly household labour force survey showed that while the number of people employed rose by 19,000 in the final three months of the 2016, the overall labour force rose by 29,000.
The expansion in the labour force represents both arrivals from overseas, new people reaching the working age of 15, as well as people whose circumstances change which mean they are now actively seeking work or employed.
Economists had expected unemployment to drop to a fresh eight year low of 4.8 per cent, but instead the number of unemployed rose by 10,000 to 139,000.
This pushed unemployment up to 5.2 per cent. Unemployment increased for both men and women.
…when so many NZers are feeling the pinch of mortgage rises, increased unemployment on top of a staggering 127,300 new arrivals something has to give.
The Government have no interest in closing the neoliberal immigration floodgates because they desperately need to keep property values high and feed their boss mates with cheap and exploitable labour, Labour, NZ First and even the Greens however realise that immigration is out of control.
Factor in the 3.5million people who visited us last year to prop up the empty economics of the Tourism industry and it is no wonder Auckland has ground down to gridlock.
A changed Government in 2017 must immediately step in and reduce immigration to sustainable levels, crack down on the bullshit education industry and protect all migrant workers with mandatory Union enrolment while they are in the country. As for Tourism, a mandatory $25 infrastructure levy would generate $87 500 000 for infrastructure. We should do that immediately.
Agree Martyn but I actually think the unemployed numbers are higher they are hiding the numbers just like they aren’t and never will collect proper data on Foreigners buying houses as it is not in there best interest and they have shown they are all about themselves and there mates
C I V I L W A R. Name a “country” with a higher proportion of foreign-born residents than No Zealand? *crickets chirping*
I notice that New Zealand’s one newspaper keeps feeding us a steady diet of fake news about how double-plus good immigration is for the country.
If we actually had two newspapers, it might make a difference. But this being Oceania, I think two independent newspapers is probably out of the question.
Migrant groups keep them supplied with articles and fake studies – the Herald doesn’t have the staff anymore to do any real analysis. MSM is dead.
If the housing bubble collapses (and it will), the recession will be so severe that there won’t be any net migration anyway. In fact, there will be significant emigration as NZers look to brighter pastures overseas. This will also serve to free up infrastructure.
The housing bubble will continue until National is kicked up the arse. Then the quick collapse will cause a mini-recession, starting first in Auckland, spreading to the other metropolitan cities and the provincial centres. Unemployment will rise further.
The incoming government will have to deal with the legacy of National’s boom and bust, borrow and hope mentality, and of course it will be their fault, not National’s.
You’ve got a racism problem. Maori and Pacifika unemployment has been double figures for decades. ‘European’ (ie Pakeha) unemployment must be around or even below 4%? (no mention in link but HLFS does tabulate by ethnicity).
Didn’t I read somewhere that the unemployment stats are ‘cooked’, and grossly under-stated??
I think you mean this, SH; https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/08/15/national-exploits-fudged-statistics-nz-unemployment-figures/
So unemployment is actually MUCH HIGHER then, Frank? Trust the Nats to cook the books. I’m surprised they don’t do away with the HLFS much like they did away with hospital waiting lists. Or Paula Benefit refusing to introduce statistical analysis of child poverty in NZ.
Yeah but your your reply Priss, for lack of better words, is an example of the lefts refusal to acknowledge your/thier own failings.
Back in the 80s when we had record low unemployment, below 2%. We could except waves of immigrants, but the previous wave weren’t bothered by that as we are now bothered by cheaper immigrants taking white collar jobs.
What happened is we Roger changed the game, from, money flowing from labour to capitalists, to, money flowing to banksters, and that blew out inequality. Which is the opposite of how you say inequality blew out. But thats not an endorsement of Nationals economic management because theirs is much worse
“Skyrockets” is a bit of a stretch isn’t it Martyn?
The fact of the matter is that 5% represents the unemployable: Addicts, illiterate, criminal & lazy. The economy is scraping the barrel as regards workers.
There is work all over at the moment. I know lots of companies desperate for workers and all they need is a clean person who can reliably get out of bed in the morning.
Well, Andrew, you’d better get onto it then, hadn’t you? Set up an employment company and get these companies the staff they need.
Of course, blaming the unemployed (when unemployment was near-zero in the 50s and 60s) is much easier than driving home responsibility to the government-of-the-day.
That’s the problem with you right-wingers, if the reality doesn’t fit your neo-liberal model, it can’t be the model that is flawed. It must be the people who refuse to see the greatness of neo-liberalism.
We should all be getting out of bed to serve our neo-liberal overlords… (Except for the ones living in cars with no beds. They can drive straight to work, huh?
You’re a bigot, Andrew. Smearing the unemployed who are victims of failed neo-liberal ideology, is lazy thinking from you.
Andrew, you’re a bigot. No wonder you’re a fan of Trump.
Yep, I know people working an hour a week, and being counted as “employed”, but they somehow cannot live off that, so alternative incomes from WINZ, or even drugs, prostitution and so, that makes “ends meet”. I am sure you consider that quite “normal” then, do you not, Andrew?
It is a low rate, but when it counts as a “job”, when you only work one hour a week, well, we know how shoddy and unreliable these “statistics” are, not worth to even consider.
Comments are closed.