Source: New Zealand Labour Party
Unemployment figures released today show 11,100 more Māori and Pasifika people are without jobs compared to this time last year, bringing the total number to 54,400.
According to Statistics New Zealand, Māori unemployment is 9.1% up from 8.2% when National took office. Unemployment among Pacific People is 8.3% up from 6% when National took office, said Willie Jackson Labour employment and Māori affairs spokesperson and Carmel Sepuloni, Labour social development and Pacific peoples spokesperson.
“Today we see numbers which confirm what we already felt in Aotearoa – the Government is taking Māori backwards in every way possible,” said Willie Jackson.
“The Government showed through Budget 2024 that Māori and Pacific people are not a priority. It appears after nine months that this lazy Government has no plan to help Māori people who are out of work get jobs either.
“Government has given nothing but crumbs to Māori, and these numbers will continue to grow as a result,” Willie Jackson said.
“This is a government that can’t be trusted. They consistently punch down when it comes to beneficiaries, and stigmatise those that are out of work, yet their policies have made more people unemployed,” Carmel Sepuloni said.
“Under out Government we saw record levels of unemployment for Pacific and now we have more out of work. The Government can’t continue to say they are focused on getting people in to work when they are making decisions that are seeing more and more people unemployed. Ultimately this is not good for Pacific families, the Pacific community, or the country. This Government is taking Pacific peoples backwards.”
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