Employment figures

Press, 20 October 1981, Page 12

Employment figures

PA i Wellington The total number of jobs has increased by 1.5 per cent over the 12 months from August, 1980, to August, 1981, says the Labour Department. Between May and August, 1981; the total fell by 0.8 per cent compared with . a decline in the August, 1980, quarter of 2.3 per cent. The Secretary of Labour (Mr G. L. Jackson) released provisional employment hours and earnings figures from the August, 1981, Quarterly Employment Survey.. The survey results are estimated from a sample of alii firms employing two or mqre people in all industries

except agriculture, hunting, fishing, waterfront and seagoingwork. ,</ . The total number of jobs at August.was 1;I0O,368. Of these, 860,083 were-full-time, an increase of 0,3 per cent from theprevious year, while part-time employment increased by 4.2 per cent, to 156,173. For all sectors, average ordinary time, weekly earnings in August, 1981, stood ’at $262.04 for males, $197.24 for females, and $237.16 for all persons. Wage increases over the year came to 21.6 per cent including the 5 per cent cost-

of-living increase in June this year. Labour’s Shadow Minister of Employment, Mr T. K. ..Burke, said the survey’ showed d/ “startling collapse" in full-time employment in the last 21 months. "It must come as shattering news for the Government as it enters the election campaign,” he said. "1 suspect there is a worse picture: than., even ■ these figures • reveal' because the great bulk of Ahis decline has occurred within the private sector, the area ; which the Government is supposed to be ipromoting,” said Mr Burke.'