Hoax job offers

Press, 10 July 1985, Page 1

Hoax job offers

PA Wellington One-third of the private sector jobs pledged in the Wellington area during Telethon were hoaxes, said Mr John Meeuwsen, the national co-ordinator of Jobathon, yesterday. Mr Meeuwsen said that 21 job offers turned out to be either non-existent, already on Labour Department files, or cancelled for unknown reasons. Excluding 50 Post Office positions, a third of the remaining 60 offers turned out to be non-existent. “One of two jobs pledged in the Palmerston North area was also a hoax call. The other job has since been filled,” he said.

Mr Meeuwsen said no action would be taken against the hoaxers. Job placement statistics compiled from the six Telethon regional offices up to last Friday were not encouraging, Mr Meeuwsen said. In Auckland, 62 of the 429 positions pledged had been filled. Hamilton employers pledged 48 jobs and are still looking for 42 workers. Five of the 12 jobs pledged in Dunedin had been filled. Dunedin employers offered 12 jobs and were still looking for six workers. None of the four positions pledged in Invercargill have been filled, and eight of the 22 positions in Christchurch also remain vacant.