42,000 out of work under National

The latest Household Labour Force Survey was released today, showing a drop in unemployment to 6.0%. But there are still 147,000 people out of work - 42,000 more than when National took office (plus 88,000 who have simply given up and left the labour force). They've had six years to fix this problem, and done nothing, preferring to leave it to the market. And as a result, they're forecasting that it will take another four years for unemployment to drop another percentage point.

We deserve better than this. Unemployment ruins lives; its not something the government should just sit on its hands and leave to the market to decide (while putting the boot even harder into its victims). But I forget: high unemployment keeps wages low, which is the way National's donors and cronies want it. So National is sacrificing 147,000 people to keep their friends the 1% happy.