Jobless tipped to rise

Press, 24 February 1988, Page 1

Jobless tipped to rise

By

PETER LUKE,

political reporter Registered unemployment has reached six figures but the Minister of Employment, Mr Goff, has warned that worse is to come. The Labour Department had 101,398 unemployed on its books at the end of January — up from the December total of 97,495. One year ago there were 19,840 fewer unemployed. The January figure does not include the 5051 unemployed university students or the 22,947 on subsidised work or training programmes such as Access. The registered unemployed comprised 7.6 per cent of the workforce in January. The Opposition spokesman on employment, Mr Winston Peters, attributed the unemployment rise to the Government’s economic policies. But Mr Goff, although he conceded that unemployment was unlikely to drop within six months, has ruled out “easy answers.” The Government would keep relying on a resurgence in business confidence, while continuing to emphasise the development of skills, he said last evening. Further reports, page 8