25 Aug 2009

Rise in volunteering reported

3:26 pm on 25 August 2009

A Lower Hutt volunteer organisation reports an increase in interest from newly unemployed people.

Official unemployment has this year risen by 33,000 people to 6% of the potential labour force.

Volunteer Hutt manager Katie Terris says her centre has seen a 41% increase in registrations between January to July compared with the same time last year.

She says the organisations she works with are now getting offers from highly qualified professionals made redundant for the first time.

Ms Terris says many of the people she is seeing are between the ages of 30 to 50.