Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Govt needs to focus on creating jobs - CTU

Updated at 9:28 am on 10 August 2012

The Council of Trade Unions says the latest unemployment figures show the Government needs to focus on job creation.

The national unemployment rate between March and June rose from 6.7% to 6.8%, the highest for two years.

That was higher than economists were expecting. But the CTU says the figures are not surprising as not many jobs are available.

CTU president Helen Kelly says it is increasingly hard for those out of work to find decent work.

She says the Government needs to focus on job creation, and increase skill development programmes.

Westpac Bank chief economist Dominick Stephens says one reason for the high unemployment rate may be that the skills job-seekers have, are not the ones currently in demand.

He told Morning Report that firms are finding it difficult to find the skilled labour they need, so it is possible that job-seekers are trained in skills not currently in demand.

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