Posted on 02/13/2005 3:29:14 AM PST by CfromNZ
From the NZ Herald :
12.02.05 by Brian Fallow In the strongest job market for a generation, the unemployment rate has fallen to 3.6 per cent, the lowest among developed countries and the lowest since comparable records began 19 years ago. In the last three months of 2004 the economy created 33,000 new jobs. Over the year, 87,000 jobs were created, Statistics New Zealand reported yesterday. The number of people in work increased 4.4 per cent last year, at the same time as the net inflow of migrants dwindled and growth in the population slowed accordingly. That is the strongest jobs growth for 10 years and its benefits are being felt by sectors of the community which sometimes struggle to find employment - people over 55, the long-term unemployed, women and Maori, all of whose employment statistics have improved. In the latest quarter, employment jumped by 1.6 per cent, a record. The increases were strongest in the service sectors - health, education and business and financial services. The number of unemployed fell to 76,000, down from 79,000 in September and 94,000 a year ago. But most of the increase in employment came from people previously considered not in the labour force. To count as a member of the labour force you have to be employed or available for work and actively seeking it. Most of the increase in employment in the December quarter was among people under 24 and over 55. "It would appear that more so than normal employers have turned to holidaying students to fill the gap between labour supply and demand," said Westpac economist Donna Purdue. The problem is that when the academic year resumes that source of workers will reduce again. Most of the growth in the latest quarter was in part-time jobs, a break from the pattern of previous quarters. That may be more a matter of necessity than choice from an employer's point of view. ANZ chief economist Dr John McDermott said: "The intensity with which employers are searching for labour is very strong. "We see that in the high levels of job ads. And there is a lot of evidence that employers are thinking about alternatives like job sharing. "There are a lot of experienced and qualified women out there who can't work full-time because of other commitments." Business New Zealand chief executive Phil O'Reilly and Employers and Manufacturers Association chief executive Alasdair Thompson agreed that some of the increase in part-time employment reflected employers becoming more flexible in their requirements in the face of such a tight market. Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said it was time to focus on improving the quality of the workforce by "upskilling" and investment in training. Auckland's unemployment rate is below the national average at 3.3 per cent. Coming on top of evidence of a second wind in the housing market, yesterday's figures increase the risk of another round of interest rate rises, but most economists think Reserve Bank Governor Dr Alan Bollard will keep his nerve and leave rates on hold. The job figures are reflected in the advertising pages of the Herald, whose sales director, Ken Leeming, said yesterday that the traditional post-Christmas settling-down period did not occur this year. "It's the biggest it has been in recent history, if not all history," he said of the thousands of jobs advertised in the newspaper.
Re: How are Western ideas detrimental to the rest of the world? The standard of living has increased markedly everywhere that countries have joined the modern economic system.
I never said that those values were a detriment to the rest of the world, in fact I believe they are most probably a benefit. But if those values required a protection of 'collective interests' (the phrase NZerfromHK used) from the rest of the world, I don't see it as positive. I assume the collective interest of the west is to maintain stable, prosperous economies and the stable societies that follow those conditions. But if that stability and prosperity relies on the suffering and chaos of other nations, I believe that cooperation and multilateralism should be the effort, not an out and out 'protection' of the west
I see you are a bit of a smart arse, thats fine, we are all guilty of that at times. I believe the tide of history is exactly that, and has a habit of coming in and going out, with govts, beliefs etc riding them. Enjoy your current ride.
No. But as I said, this is a conservative forum, I don't plan on attempting to have you in agreement with me. I'm not just going to stamp my little feet because we disagree.
Let's not ne naive. You know why she is distancing herself from it. It was a complete balls up, she knows it, and doesn't want it to stick to her. It's called politics.Trevor Mallard needs to go, however.
,,, boot boy Trevor! Ruth Dyson should have been the first casualty when she was caught drinking and driving - but she's one of the sisterhood. They've culled Dover Samuels, Aunty Turiana, Leanne the liar and Mr Tamihere... they're all dropping like flies. George Hawkins was under the microscope in the last re-shuffle but he seems to have protected species status - so does Marion Hobbs. What a pitiful old maid she is. Imagine what her minders would say over a few beers on Friday nights.
Welcome aboard. Interesting about NZ's laws about 'working girls'. Please keep us updated as to how it's working out, as a lot of FReepers think it's a common sense approach to the "oldest profession". Add in some facts about how abortion stats are going and it will be appreciated. Thanks
I don't know how to answer this, I really don't. The referendum, as I remember it, was is vague terms and so allowed the govt. to wriggle over what it was going to do. I don't believe that the govt was at all bound by that referendum, which makes you wonder why they bothered holding at all. The story you have posted refers to home-detention, which is a distinct issue. I personally don't believe that Home Detention should be an option for anyone convicted of a crime involving violence, that the numbers of inmates on it should be greatly reduced, and that it can't be a way off keeping prisons from reaching their capacity. Having said all that, I am glad home detention exists for the rare circumstances in which it is the most practical option.
,,, you're right, the referendum wasn't binding on the goverment. That aspect should be changed by law so it is.
re: What a pitiful old maid she is. Imagine what her minders would say over a few beers on Friday nights.
Thanks for that, why don't you try and elevate yourself out of the playground? Do yourself a favour
,,, like you've given this forum any real thought since you posted the article. You're a socialist on a conservative website, remember that. You can keep writing me citations for my non-adherence to PC thought if it gives you a sense of validation, but in reality, you're really contributing so little past posting an inaccurate lead story here. If you don't like what's being said, maybe you should just get lost. You're going to have to deal with a variety of comments here or just piss off.
Common sense indeed. It has had its drawbacks, with younger, illegal prostitutes working. The police should be going harder on that, we really haven't heard enough from mainstream media about the flow on effects of the law change. Time will tell, it is early days. I don't have any abortion stats to hand, and to be frank, as pro-choice male, I'm not too keen to get into the abortion debate on here. I have read posts supporting the bombing of abortion clinics and have read constant vilification of pro-choice politicians and women who choose abortion. What is your interest in NZ's abortion stats? I'm sure most people around here need no excuse to shout loudly their views on the subject, so why should I bother giving them one?
Cmon mate, since the get go I have acknowledged the fact that given my political views, I would prefer to listen a lot more than I speak on this site. I reitirate my inital statement that I joined after months of using FR as free access to full articles from various sources. I had witnessed to and fro on NZ subjects, and felt that perhaps I could occasionally offer a differing viewpoint. I realise my choice of a first article wasn't a particularly useful one, but I was really just picking a NZ story with an international connection. I didn't want to write anywhere near this much but
a) This site should carry public health addiction warnings
b)I'm not gonna lay down and have anyone post little egotrips on how superior conservative beliefs are and how I can have no rational response to FR gospel. Comments which indicated I had somehow been bowed by responses to my posts, or that I was under the illusion that anyone around here agrees with me, were incorrect and I was not willing to let them stand unanswered. I don't like a lot of what is said on FR, but I support 100% the right of any poster to express their opinion. I can deal with a variety of comments, but 'dealing' with something isn't blindly agreeing to it. For people with an excellent grip on current affairs, economics and political science, a significant amount of FR posters seem to pick the lowest common denominator and make personal attacks, or crude jokes and often retreat to the safety of in-jokes when a differing opinion is posted. BUT and I cannot stress this enough, that is why sites like this, founded on political belief, exist. For communication btwn people sharing those beliefs, not for people like me. So I can put up or shut up, or both. But unless you want to ban me, I assert my right to politely disagree with you. Similarly, if you find this too hard, piss off from any page on which my name appears.
,,, no you don't. Look at the censure you've imposed on me throughout. You've played policeman a number of times. Credibility zero. I'm a dyed in the wool right winger and I should do myself a favour and get out of the playground with my opinions.
Yes I do. I was specifically referring to the cheap, off the cuff replies I have had. The replies to this thread by investigateworld are a case in point. He has identified himself as a conservative, and has asked me about NZ events. I am more than willing to offer any info I can, for the hundredth time, that is the only reason I registered, so I could occasionally post NZ related stories etc. Absent from his posts is the name-calling and cheap rhetoric you employ. I would suspect investigateworld and I might differ on every major pol. issue, but I'm not sensing the same bitterness and arrogance towards me that you have displayed. I'm at pains to not enter into any personal arguments on here, but I thought I had entered into this with a more than a pinch of humility and understanding, and yet my credibility is questioned simply because I challenged your statements. Eel, this is YOUR playground, not mine, and you and anyone else who wants to is able to try and bully me off. Would posters of FR 'play policeman' if I launched a contentious thread commenting on US politics or policy? I guarantee it. Only a coward or one who is not comfortable with his own opinions/biases/obsessions (take your pick)would leave such comments unanswered. I don't enjoy these pointless discussions of semantics, they waste both our time. Perhaps we could take step back and possibly re-engage over real issues sometime in the future.
I will endeavour to find some relevant articles, stats etc and post them up. It is interesting to hear a law enforcement opinion on the issue, too often Police bring situations to the public's attention after the horse has bolted. But I guess that is their lot, to be dealing with the dregs of society that others can ignore, and sounding enheeded warnings.
Tell "investigateworld" we're performing around 16,000 abortions in New Zealand each year. Have some answers ready for me too. You've chosen to run a smoke and mirrors routine using my portrayal and naming conventions for your socialist hero clones to avoid discussing some of the points I've made regarding policy. Your knowledge of etiquette can't be faulted, but it's at the expense of your minimal grasp of fiscal and social policy.
<< Have I got a problem with pettiness or have you got a problem with perception? >>
This joker, sure as God made little apples -- and as is made manifest by his being weighed down by its definitive symptom, Psychopathological Projection Syndrome -- suffers from the liberal psychosis.
Terminally!
What a dawk.
[Wonder if anyone knows how to set up 'fnz.com' for us]
<< I got my morals from my family, not from Helen Clark. >>
Rubbish.
Morals, if we have any come from God.
And you got Peking Clark from what you got instead.
The arrogance of that comment doesn't surprise me, it is typical of the closeted attitudes on FR. But please do not question the parenting and teaching I received from my mother and father, that is an insult to my family.
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