N.I. Has Most Labour Growth

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31085, 14 June 1966, Page 23

N.I. Has Most Labour Growth

The North Island is taking the lion’s share of New Zealand’s employment growth, according to the latest issue of the “Labour and Employment Gazette,” published by the Labour Department.

‘‘ln October 1960, 70.1 per cent of the country’s labour force was north of Cook Strait, but in the next five years the North Island accounted for a disproportionrte 80 per cent of employment increase, with the result that by October, 1965, it had raised its share of the total work force to 71.5 per cent,” eaid the journal. It said the North Island had 70 per cent of the total population at the latter date, and accounted for 43 per cent of the country’s land mass, although it was considerably less mountainous than the South Island.

Noting that the “drift to the north” was continuing and that the North Island was “going ahead” much faster than the South, the journal said that growth was by no means evenly spread over the whole country. Even in the North Island there were pockets of slower growth while in all employment districts of the South Island increase rates were consistently lower than the national average.

The numerical increase in New Zealand’s labour force (excluding armed forces and registered unemployed) during the five years to October, 1965, was 118.600 (13.7 per cent) and raised the total

from 865,400 to 984,000, said the “Gazette.” “About 65,800, or 56 per cent, of the total increase occurred in the northern half of the North Island (roughly north of Taumarunui) and a further 28,800 or 24 per cent, in the southern half. This left only 24,000 or 20 per cent, of the five-yearly employment gain for the South Island.” Not only did the northern half of the North Island ex-

perience the largest numerical i increase, but it also recorded i the highest percentage in- 1 crease. i “Between October, 1960, and < October, 1965, its growth of I 65,800 represented an increase < of 18.7 per cent while the i labour force of the southern I half of the North Island grew 11.2 per cent and that of the i South only 9.3 per cent,” said i the "Gazette.” ‘ “Growth was generally i

much faster in the urban than in the rural areas. The Auckland, Lower Hutt, Wellington and Christchurch employment districts together accounted for 71,800 of the total increase, or more than 60 per cent of the whole country’s labour force growth. From the total of 412,300 in October 1960, employment in ’the four districts rose to 484,100 five years later—a rise of 17.4 per cent.”