Minister refutes ‘dole drain’

Press, 3 September 1981, Page 2

Minister refutes ‘dole drain’

PA Wellington Suggestions that-New Zealand's long-term “brain drain" had become a “dole drain" were refuted yesterday by the Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger). Commenting on the latest statistics on permanent and long-term departures, Mr Bolger said it was “simply not true" to conclude that because people described themselves as “not actively engaged” they were receiving unemployment benefit. A total of 6618 people “not actively engaged” left New Zealand either permanently or for a long-term period during the three months April to June this year. Those describing themselves as unengaged included housewives, students, retired people, and children, Mr Bolger said. "Clearly, a significant proportion of the people in this group could not be drawing the unemployment benefit,” he said.

Housewives who lost their jobs and people retired early did not show up on unemployment statistics. The next largest groups of long-term leavers were production and related workers, transport equipment operators, and labourers. The figures show that the net migration loss is declining. The total loss for the 12 months ended June was 11,970, compared with 21,248 in the corresponding period to June, 1980. Mr Bolger has criticised newspapers recently for misrepresenting unemployment statistics by including those on special subsidised work as people “on the dole or relief work." While he recognised that the two figures had traditionally been lumped together, the nature of subsidised work had changed and it was no longer limited to short-term, public-sector work, Mr Bolger said.