Projects help lower jobless numbers

Press, 14 December 1983, Page 2

Projects help lower jobless numbers

Wellington reporter

The number of registered unemployed was down but the number of people on special projects was well up at the end of November, compared with a month earlier.

The Labour Department has just published its statistics for the four weeks ending November 25. These show a drop in the number of registered unemployed from 73,809 to 72,067, a fall of 1742. However, there were 19,242 people (including 2162 holiday workers) on private sector job-creation programmes, 2834 up on the 16,408 of October, and 24,447 (including 435 holiday workers) on public sector job-creation and training programmes, up 589 on the 23,858 of a month ago. The number-'registered as unemployed or on special projects rose 2269 during th£ month, from 113,487 to 115,756. ?

In the total of 72,067 registered job seekers (which excludes holiday workers) were 5109 schoolleavers, 294 up on October. As well as the 72,067, the number of tertiary students registered with the department as seeking temporary employment during the summer holiday was 6408, bringing the total registered with the department to 78,475.

Of those registered (excluding holiday workers),

19,923 (24.9 per cent) had been enrolled for less than four weeks, 22,797 (31.6 per cent) for four-12 weeks, 16,456 (22.8 per cent) for 1325 weeks, and 14,891 (20.7 per cent) for more than 26 weeks. The biggest increase in registered unemployed was in Christchurch (up 257), while New Plymouth rose 221, Palmerston North, 162, Rotorua, 151, and Wellington, 99. The number of registered unemployed in Christchurch increased from 9042 to 9299. A slight rise in the number of school-leavers registered as unemployed, from 324 in October to 363 last month, followed the normal trend for this time of year, said the district Superintendent of the Labour Department, Mr W. T. Holland, yesterday. An increase in numbers employed under the private sector job-creation programmes, from 1974 to 2082, showed that employers were using the employment incentive scheme, he said. It also reflected the emphasis being given to the private sector by employment and vocational guidance staff. A decrease in the number employed under the public sector subsidised programmes, from 2069 to 1975, was a result of a number of schemes being completed, said Mr Holland. So far, 404 students had been found subsidised jobs

under the public and private sector schemes, while 270 others had found unsubsidised work through the Student Job Search Centre.

Nationally, the biggest drops in unemployed were in Auckland (down 638), followed by Napier with 434, Hastings, 317, Masterton, 275, Wanganui, 251, and Invercargill, 216. Registered unemployment figures for the northern South Island, with October figures in brackets, were: Marlborough: 547 (556) registered, comprising 339 (362) males and 208 (194) females.

Nelson: 1569 (1550) registered, 941 (891) males and 628 (659) females. West Coast: 609 (617) registered, 403 (410) males and 206 (207) females. Christchurch: 9297 (9042) registered, 5944 (5919) males and 3353 (3123) females. Timaru: 1015 (1155) registered, 668 (834) males and 347 (321) females. Nationally, the total number of males registered as unemployed fell 2241 during November, from 48,839 to 46,598, but the number of females rose 499, from 24,970 to 25,469. By November 25, 5.4 per cent of the estimated workforce was registered as unemployed. ,

If the work-force is estimated at 1,334,574, the 115,756' registered as unemployed or on special work represent 8.67 per cent of the workforce.