Jobless survey delayed

Press, 1 April 1985, Page 2

Jobless survey delayed

PA Wellington The first household survey to determine the real level of unemployment in New Zealand has been delayed.

A household labour force survey was part of Labour’s election policy.

The Government Statistican, Mr Stephen Kuzmicich, said that the start of data collection for the survey, which was to have begun this month, was now due to begin in October. The delay was caused by administrative difficulty in getting necessary staff and money.

Pilot testing of the survey had been completed and he said the aim was to conduct an initial person to person interview with each .of the 12,000 in the sample, with subsequent interviews by telephone. The survey will be conducted quarterly with one eighth of those sampled to be changed each quarter.

Mr Kuzmicich said the survey would cost $700,000 a year and would involve 10 to 12 office staff and about 80 part-time interviewers. The survey is designed to give a more accurate guide to true levels of unemployment than monthly Labour Department statistics of

those registered with the department. Registration is a requisite for those wishing to obtain unemployment benefits but it has been claimed that many others who would not qualify for benefits but who nevertheless seek paid employment are not included in the Labour Department figures.

Mr Kuzmicich said the survey would also provide information about aspirations of the labour force, about those in the labour force, and those who would like to be activ.e in it.

It would also be used later to gather broad social information, it said.