Works temporary closing affects Ashburton

Press, 21 November 1986, Page 3

Works temporary closing affects Ashburton

Ashburton reporter Unemployment in Ashburton has risen to its highest point since June, 1983. The Labour department recorded 439 unemployed in Ashburton for October, a rise of 62 on the previous month. The Department attributed the rise, which was the biggest monthly one since the May-June 1984, rise of 127, to the temporary closing of local freezing works. The senior employment officer in the Labour Department at Ashburton, Mr Les Naughton, said although the figures for October were far from pleasing, it would be corrected in the next batch of statistics because the freezing workers would be

back at work. Killing at the Fairton freezing works resumed on Tuesday. Mr Naughton said the department would record a predictable “rise then almost immediate fall” when the slaughtering chains stopped for maintenance, then resumed. The Labour Department in Ashburton has twice the number of students looking for jobs than there are jobs available. Mr Naughton said that 70 tertiary students home for the holidays in Ashburton, or seventhformers intending to study at university next year, were enrolled in the student job-search scheme. At present there were 35 jobs available. Mr Naughton attributed the situation to the econ-

omy, but more particularly, the rural downturn. “In a better year we would expect more jobs to be available to students,” he said. “But this year has been a particularly bad one employment-wise in Ashburton.”

Mr Naughton said that the department was “fortunate” to have the same jobs available. Even 35 was a good number in the circumstances.

“We cannot expect people to offer jobs to students when they are not in a position to offer them to anyone else.” Mr Naughton said that as university examinations finished, and students filtered back to the area there would be more looking for jobs. He expected 180 to be on the rolls by mid-December.