4. GEORGINA BEYER (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
What reports has he received about the numbers of New Zealanders in work?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE (Minister for Social Development and Employment) Link to this
Statistics New Zealand’s latest household labour force survey shows that there are now 2,093,000 New Zealanders in employment. That is more than 300,000 more New Zealanders in work today than were in work when the Labour-led Government came into office. That is approximately 150 additional New Zealanders in work every day since 1999, or 54,750 each year under Labour. That is a city the size of Nelson in extra jobs each year, every year, for the past 6 years.
Given this exceptional result, what reports has the Minister received about the number of New Zealanders not in work?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
The same household labour force survey showed that unemployment had fallen in New Zealand to 3.4 percent—the lowest rate in the 19-year history of that survey. This means that New Zealand has the lowest rate of unemployment in the OECD. This is considerably better than the result in Australia, where the unemployment rate increased in the latest quarter to 5.2 percent, making Australia, by comparison, in about 10th place in the OECD.
Judith CollinsAre any of the newly counted in-work New Zealanders working for the Otago District Health Board, where 55 staff have just recently been discovered to be receiving taxpayer-funded salaries while at the same time receiving taxpayer-funded benefits; and how many of these fraudsters have been prosecuted to date?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
The member can be assured that benefit fraud will not be tolerated—[ Interruption] I can tell that member that in October alone there was 97 percent clearance of prosecutions, and 12 prison sentences. As to whether, specifically, any of those members are in that figure, I am not able to provide her with that information at this time.
Ron MarkIs the Minister concerned that the unemployment statistics he so proudly quotes come on the back of a low-wage economy delivering incomes to New Zealand workers that are 30 percent less than those of their Australian counterparts; and what impact will New Zealand First’s post-election gain of a pledge to have a minimum wage of $12 per hour by the year 2008 have on the average wage of New Zealand workers?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
I am pleased about both the most significant movement in unemployment ever shown in the household labour force survey, and the employment statistics. I am sure that the workers in this economy are starting to see the gains flowing through, as we have seen in recent wage settlements. I must say that the overall figure is more positive than many believe, because the total number of working-age New Zealanders on benefits has reduced by 21 percent since 1999.