GUEST BLOG: Willie Jackson – The lowest unemployment rate in almost a decade an incredible result
The unemployment rate has dropped to 3.9%, the lowest rate in almost a decade. That’s 29,000 more jobs in June alone, 6000 young people in training, employment up to a record high of 68.3% and the regions seeing employment rates spiking as well.
It’s an incredible result from many talented and passionate people inside the Ministry of Employment and tireless grass root community organisations who help create the ideas and vision to see programs implemented. We are also blessed with a Prime Minister who sees the importance of employment and the self esteem it can generate.
But why are we seeing this result? Why are we seeing unemployment drop like this? I think it’s because this Government doesn’t believe in simply throwing so many of our people onto the free market scrap heap and punish repeatedly with threats of sanctions those who fail.
The previous Government
When over 30% of Māori and Pacific Island children leave school with no qualifications, that is a failure of public policy, and to do nothing to help those students find work only adds insult to injury.
We know that if we invest in helping young people gain experience and work skills, then that work ethic stays with them and allows them the self respect to stand tall.
Our Mana in Mahi apprenticeships is a direct attempt to intervene and help young people find work while partnering with employers. Leaving people to the free market to find jobs isn’t leadership, it’s abdicating responsibility and that’s not what people who voted for change want.
We need stronger commitment to community organisations and smarter ways of integrating work programs so while I am pleased with the amazing progress we’ve managed in a year, I am not resting because it’s not just about lowering the unemployment rate, it’s about the quality of those jobs and work environment.
We don’t just want jobs, we want jobs with dignity. We want safe jobs, jobs that pay decent wages and provides protections so that people aren’t left vulnerable to exploitation. We want jobs that can be diverse enough to help the disabled find agency, we want work environments that are respectful and harassment free, we want jobs that are fair.
As Minister of Employment, I’m not resting until we fulfil our promises to the people. Anything less is beneath all of us as a country.
Willie Jackson is the Minister for Employment
First Published in the Manukau Courier
So how about we return to counting the unemployed more honestly, the way we did 30 years ago?
I seem to recall someone blogging on how our unemployment rates is counted in such a narrow way as to discount thousands who don’t meet the “criteria”.
Unemployment is not the issue. Underemployment and punitive self employed contractor status and ‘temping’ are the problem.
And politicians wonder why election turnout is dropping.
Do you really think people are unable to look around themselves, look at their children, look at their friends and family and not see whats really happening?
I really do despair sometimes at the absolute nonsense we are expected to go along with.
Correct Siobhan, but this well precedes the current Labour led govt.
I doubt if separate stats exist for the WINZ clients whose case managers help shepherd them into “self-employment” – and who can therefore be said to be in work.
Twenty years ago it was as taxi drivers – and likely still is. Immigrants taking out loans to buy cars. A long-term unemployed woman in her 40’s driving a taxi at night in Sth Auckland – having first trained at ‘Taxi Driver College,’ likely financed by WINZ Study Link.
Some cities have a plethora of taxi drivers earning a pittance and qualifying for Community Service Cards.
Women set up as self-employed home helps and cleaners and unaware of the implications until they get a bill from ACC, or are contacted by the IRD. ACC would put debt collectors onto them,and wreck their credit ratings.
A now defunct charity fundraiser deliberately not informing employees that they were self-employed, and relying on a high staff turnover to get away with it.
I had file of some cases, which I don’t think I still have. But the important thing is that all the people concerned wanted to work and were actually trying to work, but often for very little reward.
There are other whole industries, such as fruit picking, paying seasonal workers beneath the minimum wage. There’s work and there’s work, and if you’re poor you’re grateful for what you can get.
But where there’s a family not able to exist easily on two, or even three incomes, then ’employment’ takes on a dimension which harks straight back to the grim exploitation of the Industrial Revolution.
I ask door-knockers eg. from electricity companies if they are paid commission only, and if so, I broadcast it. It’s hard work- and hard on the feet and shoes too.
Had a ride from a local taxi driver one freezing winter’s day and asked him what sort of heating he had at home. He said they didn’t use any heating.
Take people off the unemployment role put them on the training role and … voila …. unemployment drops. Bloody miracle!
Doesn’t hurt if there’s a few big construction works on the go as well.
We might have the lowest job rate in decades, but the pay rates are so low and the definition of having a job has become meaningless if you can’t survive on the wages in NZ and working for 1 hour a week is considered employment.
It’s fake because 9000 more people, 7.4 percent increase receiving Jobseeker Support. moved onto Jobseeker in September.
https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/statistics/benefit/latest-quarterly-results/all-main-benefits.html
We also have jobs, even what people should consider technical jobs that should command higher wages paying below minimum wages or breaching conditions over 92% for Chorus subcontractors labour inspectorates found.
http://business.scoop.co.nz/2018/10/08/labour-inspectorate-chorus-report-alarming-not-surprising/
With massive amounts of industries on strikes for better wages or conditions it seems that the government counting on high employment without checking to see if the employment is of a high enough quality and meeting the rising cost of living and studying.
Yep I think people are relived that the Natz are gone, but Labour thinking neoliberalism is going to continue as usual and massive subsidies to industry in particular to offshore industry with migrant workers will work and ‘trickle down’ will make the few crumbs to the workers happy and productivity will rise – think again.
Neoliberalism has been going for 30 years!!! What is the point of employment if we have low productivity, our skill levels are dropping as are our university ratings internationally, many people’s standard of living is dropping and our entire economy is now built on lazy immigration, poor environmental practices and a Ponzi scheme.
Yes it was National that has caused much of the problems from the last decade, but the architects of Rogernomics also came from Labour and they still seem to believe in many of the same but rebranded ideologies.
Labour need to unshackle from a Natz approach to working, aka subsidise employers to pay for cheap workers and give top ups for poor wages and welfare, or give free land/water/sand/resources away to private concerns, pay for construction for private or SOE companies instead of just regulating to make sure any construction has to have 30% affordable housing for example… companies and directors have to be held liable for decades for any environmental or social damage they do and rectify it, public assets should be protected like water and pollution made illegal and forcefully enforced , and the government needs to raise wages, deport employment and other migrant scammers and send a message they can’t operate here, and invest in higher levels of skills for it’s own people.
If trade agreements stop regulation, then the government has lost control of their own country in real terms.
Work is only a solution when it includes an acceptable living wage, mutual protection as in unionism, and realistic workloads.
ie ALL the things currently outlawed by neo-liberalism, to which you toe-rags are sworn through your bullshit Fiscal Responsibility Evasion Act.
You lot might not be very intelligent but please don’t assume the same for everyone else.
Politics is no longer seen as a means for change. You have made yourselves totally irrelevant.
Good on you, Willie. Kia Kaha.
Does it come in Black, Master Wayne?