Survey figures show increase in employment

Press, 10 August 1985, Page 3

Survey figures show increase in employment

By OLIVER RIDDELL in Wellington Total employment increased 3.4 per cent (39,010 jobs) during the year to May, 1985, compared with an increase of 3.2 per cent during the year to May, 1984, and now stands at 1,182,908. These figures are contained in the May, 1985, quarterly employment survey provisional results released yesterday by the Secretary of Labour. During the May, 1985, quarter, total surveyed employment increased 1.6 per cent (18,824 jobs) compared with an increase of 2.3 per cent (25,426 jobs) for the corresponding quarter last year. This measurement of employment covered full-time and part-time employees and working proprietors in surveyable businesses in sectors other than agriculture, maritime and waterfront. During the survey year, the number of full-time employees increased 2.8 per cent (24,941) to 906,698. The number of part-time employees rose 6.7 per cent (11,612) to 184,798, and the number of working proprietors 2.8 per cent (2457) to 91,412. The May, 1985, quarter

saw an increase of 0.8 per cent in the number of fulltime employees, 6.9 per cent in the part-time employees, and a fall of 0.2 per cent in working proprietors, compared with the May, 1984, quarter. For the survey pay week in May, 1985, the average ordinary time weekly earnings before tax stood at $309, $343.25 for males and $257.67 for females. The “all persons” annual increase in average ordinary time weekly earnings was 8.7 per cent, compared with 3.6 per cent for the previous May year. An increase of 4.1 per cent was recorded in the May, 1985, quarter compared with an increase of 1.8 per cent in the 1984 quarter. Average ordinary time weekly hours worked were 36.9 in both the May, 1984, and May, 1985, years. However, weekly average overtime hours increased from 2.4 to 2.6 hours during the year to May, 1985, but fell from 2.7 to 2.6 in the February-May, 1985, quarter.

The Minister for Employment, Mr Burke, said the growth in employment was slowing down, but was still greater than had been expected, and that was encouraging news. Increases might have been even greater had employers been able to find sufficient skilled and semiskilled workers to fill the available vacancies. The recent Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion from the Institute of Economic Research had shown a recruitment problem. The director of the Employers’ Federation, Mr Jim Rowe, welcomed the big increase in the number of jobs. A 6 per cent increase in the number of women, both employees and working proprietors, had been a major achievement. Getting people back into the work force had been, and must remain, a priority, he said.