CTU Media Release
5 May 2011
Jobs hard to find for youth and Māori

Latest unemployment figures show Youth unemployment has spiked upwards to 27.5 percent, Māori unemployment has gone up to 16.1 percent and Pacific people have an unemployment rate of 14 percent.

This shows that unemployment is remaining persistently high compared with 2008.

Syd Keepa, CTU Māori Vice President, said today that people want to work but the jobs are just not there. It appears that more and more people are giving up and going to Australia.

“The human cost of unemployment is huge. Not only do families have less income when people are out of work, but self-esteem and skill development suffers. It makes vulnerable people even more disadvantaged – sometimes for years” said Syd Keepa.

James Sleep, spokesperson for the CTU's youth sector, Stand Up, says that young people want to work and up skill, but there simply are not enough jobs or training opportunities available for many young people.

"These statistics confirm that youth unemployment is still disproportionately high and is continuing to soar. The Government has failed to provide a plan for how they will create long term and sustainable work and education opportunities. All we have seen is cuts to training opportunities like apprenticeships, instrumental services like Youth Transition told that their funding is not secured past July this year, and only a small increase in funding to two current initiatives which is like a small drop in the water" said Sleep.

"The Government needs to take this issue seriously and provide a comprehensive plan or young people will continue to be left behind" said Sleep.

ENDS

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