Unemployment has risen to 5.6 percent, while the number of young people aged 15 to 24 who are not in employment, education or training has climbed to 94,600.
That unemployment rate is the highest in 11 years with 7,400 more young people than a year ago. Behind every one of those numbers is someone trying to find their first job, start an apprenticeship, or build a future, only to find the door closed.
Christopher Luxon promised to fix the economy, but it is getting worse for young people.
Auckland has been hit particularly hard, with youth unemployment continuing to climb and thousands more people out of work each year since this Government took office.
Instead of investing in opportunity, National has cut programmes that helped people train and get them into work, cut Maori and Pasifika trades training and apprenticeships, and removed fees free making it harder for young people to study. There is no plan. There is no sense of urgency.
Labour believes New Zealand succeeds when young people succeed. That means backing apprenticeships, strengthening tertiary education, creating pathways into skilled work, and partnering with employers and Iwi.
We cannot accept nearly 100,000 young New Zealanders being left on the sidelines. Every month spent unemployed or disconnected from education makes it harder to find work, build confidence and contribute to our communities. The economic and social cost is enormous.
Our young people are ambitious, capable and ready to contribute. What they need is a Government prepared to back them.
New Zealand has always been at its best when we invest in the next generation. It’s time we did that again.
