Number out of work down 9.8 p.c. since Feb.

Press, 13 April 1984, Page 1

Number out of work down 9.8 p.c. since Feb.

Parliamentary reporter

Unemployment levels have fallen for the second month in a row to 68,252 registered unemployed.

The total number of people registered unemployed or on special work schemes has also fallen to 106,788 in March, a drop of 11,645, or 9.8 per cent, since February. Registered unemployed numbers dropped 9246 in March, or 11.9 per cent, and they are now lower than they were a year ago, when 72,770 people were registered as unemployed. The number of schoolleavers unemployed has also fallen 2079 to 7200, just 136 lower than the number recorded as unemployed a year ago. Christchurch has 8860 people registered as unemployed (a drop of 921 since February), 2200 people on private job creation schemes, and 2150 on public job-creation schemes. At the end of March there were 2379 people employed in- private sector jobcreation schemes, compared with 2032 at the end of February, while in the public sector there were 2150 people on job-creation schemes at the end of March, compared with 1862 at the end of February. The School-leaver Training and Employment Pre-

paration Scheme has 150 trainees in Christchurch. Since the scheme began, 150 young people have either found their own jobs or have been placed by the Labour Department in employment. The whole Christchurch employment district recorded a drop of 1010 in the number of registered unemployed, the second biggest drop after Auckland (down 1819). The Nelson district showed that registered unemployed had dropped 602. Nelson had 809 registered unemployed: 332 on private job-creation schemes and 498 on public job-creation schemes. Blenheim had 469 registered unemployed (down 89): 210 on private job-creation schemes and 254 on public schemes. Greymouth had 688 registered unemployed (down 18): 171 in private schemes and 232 on public schemes. Timaru had 861 registered unemployed (down 89): 450 on private schemes and 271 on public schemes. The unemployment rate in Christchurch is the seventh-highest out of 23 districts, at 5.9 per cent of

the labour-force. The average for New Zealand was 5.1 per cent. The unemployment rate in Blenheim was 3.4 per cent; Nelson, 3.1 per cent; Greymouth, 5.1 per cent; and Timaru, 3.8 per cent. The Minister of Labour, Mr Bolger, said the drop was “the big turn round in the unemployment figures we have all been looking for.” “These figures are further evidence of the growth in economic activity and the improvement in general business conditions and employment that began in the middle of last year,” he said. “I am sure the trend will continue for a while. It is hard to look too far into the future but the economy is certainly strengthening.” Details of registered unemployed, including vacation workers (figures in brackets refer to last month’s totals) include: Blenheim, 469 (558), 3.4 per cent of labour force; Nelson, 809 (1411), 3.1; Greymouth, 688 (707), 5.1; Christchurch, 8860 (9870), 5.9; Timaru, 861 (950), 3.8; Dunedin, 2522 (2725), 3.5; Total, 68,252 (77,498) 5.1.