P.E.P. return rejected despite jobless toll

Press, 22 October 1986, Page 2

P.E.P. return rejected despite jobless toll

PA Wellington The Minister of Employment, Mr Burke, reacted yesterday to figures showing another 2800 people out of work last month by saying the Government was examining policies to help regions hard hit by the economic downturn. But he repeated that the Project Employment Programme would not be reinstated in the face of rising unemployment. "There will be no going back to P.E.P. This is no answer. It is a road that has been travelled down before and is a dead-end one,” he said. The latest figures show registered unemployed totalling 73,678, up 24,527 on September last year. Mr Burke defended the figures, saying that while unemployment was higher than at the same time last year, it was still substantially lower than 1983 and 1984 levels. “The combined register and subsidised scheme figures are just over 87,600 for September this year compared with 115,800 for September, 1983, and 104,400 for September; 1984,” he said. Mr Burke said the September figure had been expected to rise, but the rate had been considerably less than in July and August when increases ran at 5000 each month. He did not expect the total to reach the level that had been forecast under National’s economic policies.

He also -noted the number of entrants to the Training Assistance Programme was up almost 2000 on the previous month. “This is encouraging as more than ever it is important for people to get skills they need to find full-time work. “After all the problem is not exclusively one of a lack of jobs. Employers up and down the country are continuing their search for skilled and semi-skilled labour,” Mr Burke said.