Unemployment results released this week were greeted with
justifications and cliches from the Government, explanations
and predictions from economists, and expected criticisms and
calls for action from Opposition parties and unions.
The "horrible" September unemployment numbers should mean the
forecast top levels of the United States-New Zealand dollar
cross are not tested, BNZ currency strategist Mike Jones
says.
September's high unemployment figures continued to haunt the
Government yesterday, with Labour Party leader David Shearer
accusing the Government of trying to shrug off the bad news.
The Government had nowhere to hide yesterday when the
unemployment figures were released and they proved to be the
highest since March 1999, when Dame Jenny Shipley was prime
minister.
Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rose in both Otago and
Southland in the three months ended September, but the
seasonal nature of the figures makes interpretation
difficult.
Labour leader David Shearer yesterday advocated a return to
government intervention in the job market, including adopting
a "one in a million" target for government contracts.
Government claims of a slow sustained recovery in the economy
will be put to the test in the next few months, as New
Zealand's unemployment rate edges up and a modest lift in
employment fails to materialise.
The Otago unemployment and employment figures continue to
fluctuate because of seasonal factors, but it does appear
some people in the region are struggling to find work and
have ruled themselves out of the count.
