Labour leader Chris Hipkins says coalition Government policies are fueling an increase in jobless numbers.
Statistics New Zealand says 54,400 Māori and Pasifika people are without jobs, 11,100 more that at this time last year.
The Māori unemployment rate is 9.1 percent, up from 8.2 percent when National took office, and for Pacific people it’s jumped from 6 percent to 8.3 percent.
One of the biggest hits is in construction, where a 38 percent drop in residential building consents means up 6000 fewer jobs.
Mr Hipkins says those people might still have a job if the Government had a plan for infrastructure.
“Their rolling back of government procurement in that area, ie government spending in that area is one of the things that’s contributing to that so it’s actually taking away opportunities for younger New Zealanders because they often end up being the first people to be laid off when work starts to dry up,” he says.
The total unemployment rate has risen to 4.6 percent and it’s expected to be over 5 percent before the end of the year.
New Zealand has gone from having one of the lowest unemployment rates under Labour, to now having a higher rate than comparable countries like the UK (4.3%), Australia (4%), the US (4%), and Ireland (4.3%).
