6. GEORGINA BEYER (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
What reports has he received on progress towards addressing skill shortages in the labour force?
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE (Minister for Social Development and Employment) Link to this
The Department of Labour’s Skills in the Labour Market report released today shows that, despite a strong labour market, the number of firms having difficulty finding skilled staff has decreased by 59 percent over the last year and a half. This achievement is, of course, in the context of the lowest level of unemployment ever recorded in New Zealand, at 3.6 percent. This clearly shows that the Labour-led Government’s initiatives like industry training, Modern Apprenticeships, and industry partnerships—policies that were anathema to the last National Government—are having an extremely positive effect on this economy.
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE Link to this
The latest Skills in the Labour Market report, which I have just referred to, shows that only 15 percent of businesses say a shortage of labour was their main constraint on expansion, down from 26 percent in March 2005 and down by almost half in the last 15 months. The job vacancy monitor has shown the third consecutive fall in the levels of job vacancies, led by Auckland where the level of vacancies has fallen by 15 percent over the last year, and the number of trainees enrolled in key trade qualifications has doubled over the last 6 years. The Government now, thankfully, has policies in place to support industry, and this compares to the complete lack of support for the skill needs of the economy under National in the 1990s.
Madam SPEAKER