Jobless figures reach 50,773

Press, 9 February 1982, Page 6

Jobless figures reach 50,773

PA Wellington The numbers of people on the dole and 'on subsidised work schemes has risen again. Figures released yesterday by the Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger) show nearly 89.000 people are registered as unemployed, or placed in subsidised work on public or private-sector job-creation programmes.

They include more than 6000 school-leavers on the dole and more than 12,000 university and polytechnic students on the student community service programme. The statistics for the first month of 1982 show 50,773 people registered as unemployed, an increase of 5050 since mid-December and up almost 3000 on January last year.

Private-sector job-creation programmes involve 12,133 people and public sector programmes involve 25,759 people — 12,062 of whom are students on the vacation work scheme. Fewer than 1500 tertiary students are now registered as unemployed. Mr Bolger said the 6073 school leavers on the, dole were 1000 fewer than at the start of 1981.

But he said he was worried that jobs made available to students under the community service scheme might have been at the expense of jobs for other people looking for work under other job creation programmes. The situation would have to be reviewed to ensure students looking for holiday jobs did 1 not get preferential treatment. Since mid-December the Labour Department has placed 11,877 job-seekers into jobs against the 13,979 notified vacancies or subsidised public-sector jobs. In the seven weeks to the end of January, 34,860 jobseekers enrolled with the department and the enrolment of 34,946 ceased. There were 3952 vacancies for unsubsidised or subsidised priv-ate-sector jobs still to be • filled at the end of January. ■ The Christchurch office of the Labour Department found temporary jobs for 2140 tertiary students in the Christmas holidays under the Student Community Service Programme. The department’s district superintendent, Mr W. T. Holland, said that since the scheme began on December 1 the department had received 1056 applications

from prospective employers, enabling jobs to be found for the 2140 students. About half the number of students were, found jobs in January, the rest in December. This is reflected in the numbers registered as unemployed with the department. In December 1709 students were registered and trying to find jobs, but by the end of January the figure was 332. The number of job-seekers other than students increased by 571 from December to January, but Mr Holland said that this was mainly because of an increase in the number of school leavers registering, as expected at this time of the year.

In spite of the over-all increase in job-seekers from December to January, the January 29 figure of 6323 was still lower than the figure of 6820 at the corresponding time last year. The department placed 1944 persons in the various employment creation schemes in January, compared with 1437 in December. By the end of January 3842 persons were working' on the various schemes, of whom 2196 were in privatesector subsidised programmes. ■