Key out of touch on growing unemployment
new-zealand-labour-party
Fri Jan 22 2010 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Key out of touch on growing unemployment
Friday, 22 January 2010, 2:11 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
22 January 2010
Media Statement
Key out of touch on growing unemployment
New unemployment figures out today showing around 8000 people joined the dole queue in December alone shows more and more New Zealanders are suffering job losses while the Government sits on the sidelines doing nothing, Labour leader Phil Goff says.
Latest figures show the number of people on the Unemployment Benefit rose by 13 per cent last month – with 66,328 people receiving the Unemployment Benefit at the end of December 2009 up from 58,541 in November.
“Yesterday more than 2500 people queued for hours yesterday for the chance to grab just 150 jobs at a new South Auckland supermarket.
“These are not dole bludgers, they are Kiwis who are desperate to work
“Many of these people who are out of work are receiving no help at all from the Government. Last year’s job summit was simply an exercise in window dressing.
“Unfortunately, the pain felt by more and more Kiwis losing their livelihoods hasn’t registered with Mr Key. Late last year he bragged that jobless numbers were coming down thanks to his government’s policies.
“Mr Key said then: ‘My message to New Zealanders is I think they can feel a bit more confident as they go into Christmas that their jobs will be retained.’
“Those words are cold comfort for the increasing number still losing their jobs who are struggling to put food on the table for their families.
“Unemployment rose to 150,000 last year, while many more thousands of Kiwis were also forced to work reduced hours and wages were squeezed.
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“So much for Mr Key’s empty promises about New Zealand’s economy catching up with Australia. Our unemployment numbers are rising as fast as theirs is going down – Australia’s rate of 5.5 per cent is one percentage point lower than ours.
“This shows clearly that while Australia has a coherent plan to deal with the downturn, National has been content to sit on the sidelines and watch. The livelihoods of tens of many thousands of hardworking Kiwis suffered as a result,” Phil Goff said.
ENDS
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