Unemployment

Press, 28 August 1982, Page 14

Unemployment

Sir,—When the Minister of Labour was asked to comment on the latest figures showing that the total number of unemployed registered and people on special work schemes is approximately. 80,000 he replied, with apparent satisfaction, that this figure was about exactly the same as for this time last year. I would like to ask him, through your columns, if his reply indicates that his Government is quite happy to see these figures remain static in the long term and if it can be assumed that the Government has no policy at present to reduce unemployment?— Yours, etc., R. J. McGLIN. AUGUST 10, 1982.

[The Minister of Labour, Mr Bolger, replies: “Your correspondent is apparently referring to the comment Imade on July 12, 1982, indicating that the 47,000 people registered as ; unemployed at the end of June was approximately the same number of people as for the corresponding month in 1981. He presumes to claim that this statement was made with ‘apparent satisfaction’ on my part. He is totally wrong. This level of unemployment is undesirable and unacceptable to the Government, hence its introduction of a considerable array of employment schemes put into operation over recent times. I take some satisfaction from the fact that New Zealand’s rate of unemployment is significantly lower than virtually all developed nations and from the fact that less than one-third of those registered as unemployed have been out of work for more than 13 weeks. In a difficult international economy this has been a major achievement. The Government has faced up to the problems confronting unemployed people and the training, retraining and employment incentives offered are working.”]