August 05, 2020
Māori COVID jobless toll hidden
New Zealand Māori Council executive director Matthew Tukaki is warning any increase in Māori unemployment is likely to show up in the September quarter.
June quarter figures released today show a drop from 4.2 percent to 4 percent overall, but Stats NZ says that is because many people were unable to look for jobs during the COVID-19 lockdown, or were receiving the wage subsidy.
Mr Tukaki, a former head of recruitment firm Drake International, says Māori unemployment is always ahead of the national average for reasons of ongoing employment deprivation in the regions, ongoing issues with low skills and low wage growth as well as a general lack of focussed support on the development of all aspects of the Māori economy.
He says there is no guarantee small to medium sized business will survive the year despite the wage subsidy.
Employment programmes can't just focus on young people but need to also include older workers who otherwise will languish on the long term unemployment lists until national super.
He would like to see investment to iwi and hapū hauora and service providers to scale up and create new jobs in mental health, community services, kaumātua care, social work and much more.
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