March 04, 2013
Māori fall out of labour force
The Child Poverty Action Group is warning that labour force participation rates have fallen dramatically for Māori and Pacific families.
Ministers Bill English and Paula Bennett have argued their welfare reforms are boosting labour force participation.
But researcher Donna Wynd says the latest Household Labour Force Survey found 33,000 people left the workforce in the December quarter.
It also showed 11,000 fewer women in work than in September, which points to increasing hardship in both single and two-parent families.
Māori labour market participation slumped from a high of 67.7 percent a year ago to 64.7 percent in December, two and a half points behind the Pākeha rate.
She says as more people continue to lose jobs, especially in the manufacturing sector and its supporting businesses, the government needs to strengthen families by extending the In-Work Tax Credit to all low-income families, rather than hoping the job market will pick up.
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