Unemployment shows drop

Press, 30 August 1986, Page 3

Unemployment shows drop

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

Unemployment fell during the three months to June, according to the latest household employment survey. That was good news, said the Minister of Employment, Mr Burke, and probably confounded the sceptics though the level .was still too high. Continuing high unemployment among people aged 15 years to 19 years (12 per cent), Maoris (11.8 per cent) and Pacific Islanders (6.7 per cent) confirmed the Government in its intention to target special assistance to those groups.

The official rate of unemployment at the end of June had been 4.1 per cent, he said. P.E.P. schemes would continue to be wound down because the survey had shown these schemes had largely failed to help any of the three groups most at risk into full-time work.

The Opposition’s spokesman on employment, Mr Bill Birch (Nat., Franklin), said unemployment had increased again by 5000 during July and the number now stood at nearly 66,000. Figures for the June quarter in the household

employment survey were already out of date. None of the figures available nationally fully reflected the severe downturn in employment in some regions or specific plant closing, he said.