Older people have displaced more than 40,000 teenagers from jobs in the past five years as more choose to stay in the workforce and employers shun youth for experience.
A beauty therapist who was sacked after being told her pregnancy would be "disgusting and repulsive'' to clients has been awarded thousands of dollars in compensation for unfair dismissal.
The Job Agency in Queenstown says it is being inundated with employment seekers, as summer crowds flock to the resort.
Clouds of gloom are hanging over employment prospects for 2012 with employment confidence levels falling to its lowest level since mid-2009.
Southern employers do not seem to be faced with employees stacking up accrued leave as much as their counterparts in the north.
Employment and wages data will be the focus this week, coming as it does so soon after the National Party outlined its workplace policies for the election on November 26.
Business advocacy group BusinessNZ has welcomed the Government's focus on youth employment in its employment relations policy announced yesterday but says more needs to be done.
Employment confidence in Otago and Southland fell in the three months to September, but Southland remains in positive territory.
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan wants every young person seeking work in the district to have a job by March.
One of the largest problems employers face is finding employees with enough relevant skills, Otago-Southland Employers Association chief executive John Scandrett says.
An uproar from the Opposition greeted Prime Minister John Key's policy announcement that 16 and 17-year-olds would receive stricter monitoring if they were on a benefit. Labour and the Greens say young people need jobs, not welfare reform. In a two-part series, business editor Dene Mackenzie investigates where the jobs will come from and who will pay.
Employment indicators released today point to a slightly improving job market, with Canterbury leading the way as it recovers from February's destructive earthquake.
Male and female colleagues would know each other's salaries under a proposed pay equality Bill which would remove an employer's ability to keep them secret.
Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei yesterday renewed her attack on the Government and KiwiRail for awarding $500 million of work to overseas contractors.
Forget becoming a checkout operator or fast-food worker if you want to fix the economy - go for the high-paying jobs instead, Berl (Business and Economic Research Ltd) chief economist Dr Ganesh Nana advised Dunedin secondary pupils yesterday.
A job-cut at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Lauder station will not affect the important contribution the centre makes to the national and international science community, a Niwa spokesman said yesterday.
Working without pay on a trial basis is "a trap to be mindful of" when job hunting, the Queenstown Job Agency warns.
Employment figures out this week are expected to point to a continued improvement in the labour market after some wild gyrations during the past year.
Despite initiatives aimed at placing young people in employment, youths still account for more than a third of those receiving the unemployment benefit in the southern region, Ministry of Social Development figures show.
Thousands of workers are protecting new recruits from the 90-day trial period by negotiating collective contracts that protect them from the controversial law.