An economist for the Council of Trade Unions says unemployment generated by the Government’s Budget settings will have a lifetime effect on whānau.
Craig Renney, who also sits on Labour’s Policy Council, says Budget projections are for unemployment to rise more quickly than previously expected and stand at 5.3 percent by the end of the year,
That will mean 166,000 New Zealanders out of work or 47,000 more than when the coalition Government took office.
Based on past trends, a disproportionate number will be Maori.
“Not only will that mean real difficulties for Maori communities in Auckland and elsewhere but it will mean challenges getting young people into work. Youth unemployment is already at its highest rate since 2015. Levels of young people not in education, employment or training rocketed in the last measure. This will fuel its rising again and we know this has lifetime effects,” Mr Renney says.
