Unprecedented rise—M.P.
PA Wellington The latest unemployment figures revealed an unprecedented March trend upwards, said the Opposition spokesmani on employment, Mr Winston Peters, yesterday. Labour Department statistics just released show 101,770 people registered as unemployed: at the end of March. j This is 1201 more than the previous month ■ and 23.604 up on the same time last year. “When students return to school or tertiary studies and seasonal work is at its j highest, jobless statistics j inevitably
trend down.” Mr Peters said. “But not this year. They expose a hard core of jobless, now well over 100.000." The Minister of Employment, Mr Goff, expressed concern at the latest figures, saying they reflected both the downturn in the economy and public and private sector restructuring.! ” Restructuring has in the short term cost jobs, but it is esseritial for New Zealand to ibe able to compete internationally,” he said. But if New Zealand was to survive in an increas-
ingly competitive and uncertain international environment. the Government must press ahead with its reforms rather than rely on temporary palliatives, Mr . Goff said. Mr Peters repeated his i earlier calls for the Gov- • ernment to join National I in a bipartisan approach i to the issue, as both parties had “a large measure of agreement" on the im- ! mediate solutions. "The problem is a small i self-serving cabal in Cabi- I net who resist humanitar- j ian moves to address this i critical problem." Mr ' Peters said.
Mr Peters said he intended to introduce a private member's bill giving the Minister of Employment the legal duty to I bring in job-creation proj grammes in areas of high unemployment, after coni sultation with regional ' bodies. I “The social costs of this I level of unemployment are frightening. Crime, : social alienation, and ! further stress on race relations are inevitI able. . I “I ask the Labour Party i to turn the screws and I make their parliamentary' ' wing face reality." Mr Peters said.
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Press, 26 April 1988, Page 3
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328Unprecedented rise—M.P. Press, 26 April 1988, Page 3
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