Opposition MPs who keep saying 1300 people join the dole queue every week risk undermining confidence in the economy, Prime Minister John Key says.
"In fact that number is wrong - it has occurred on one or two occasions, this week it rose by 394," he said today at his post-cabinet press conference.
"I'm not arguing that the rise is over or that we've topped out. I'm making the point that for a number of weeks the number going on (the dole) has been below 1000."
Labour has been using the 1300 figure in its attacks on the Government, which it says isn't doing enough to stem rising unemployment.
New unemployment figures will be released on Thursday through the Household Labour Force Survey and Mr Key said he wasn't going to predict what they would be.
He said business confidence was rising and that was linked with unemployment.
"If the Opposition continues to run around saying unemployment is rising by 1300 a week, actually they're putting at risk New Zealanders losing their jobs because they risk actually undermining confidence in the economy."
