When National came to power in 2008, unemployment was at 4.6%. Thanks to their "do nothing" response to the recession, it has since skyrocketed to almost 7%. But what's worse is that it looks like it will not be coming down anytime in the near future:
A report out today showing unemployment is expected to remain over 6 per cent for the foreseeable future is grim news for jobseekers, Labour’s social development spokesperson Annette King says.John Key will probably try and dismiss this terrible news with some more spin about how unemployment is a lagging indicator - but we're talking here about real people and real suffering. That 6% figure means 140,000 people without jobs. And if it lasts too long, we could be looking at 140,000 people without a future. National needs to do something to stop that. Spinning while slurping $185 a bottle pinot won't cut it. Neither will cutting job schemes. As for their kneejerk sadism of "cracking down" on beneficiaries, kicking people into work requires that there actually be work to do - otherwise its just sadism. National needs a real plan to create jobs. And so far, they have nothing.The bad news is contained in NZIER’s Consensus Forecasts, an average of New Zealand economic forecasts from surveys of economic and financial agency agencies, which was published today.
“The report shows that the combined wisdom of New Zealand’s economists is that the jobs outlook is not expected to improve anytime soon,” Annette King said.
“Economists are saying the labour market recovery is ‘delayed’, with unemployment – currently at 6.8 per cent – not dropping below 6 per cent till late 2012 or early 2013.
Kiwis expect more from our government than that. And if National doesn't have a plan to get people back into work, then we should toss them and get someone who does.
