Govt considers new policies on employment

Press, 30 June 1983, Page 2

Govt considers new policies on employment

Parliamentary reporter Changes to Government employment policies are likely after a review by the Goverment caucus employment committee. The committee’s chairman, Mr G. W. F. Thompson, said yesterday that it had finished a month of “intensive consultations” with employers, unions, and organisations throughout New Zealand. These had revealed about 20 things that could be done and proposals would now be canvassed in both the caucus and Cabinet. “The desire now is to see whether we can make some decisions on the principal issues,” Mr Thompson said. One such issue was how the Government could get better value out of the $4OO million it spent annually on unemployment benefits and employment schemes. A strong mood in caucus wanted a revamp of the unemployment benefit to ensure some return for the State support given. The most common suggestion was that beneficiaries should work for a time related to the amount paid. But Mr Thompson said there were “fish hooks” requiring more work on the idea. These included the question of who would provide the work, and of whether it was desirable for an unemployed person to be distracted from finding permanent work. ' “It is a conceptual idea which is being explored, along with others, as a way of better using Government resources,” he said.

Although he would not specify the changes to be discussed by the Government, he expected some general results from the committee’s work.

The highest priority would be to encourage the private sector to provide more jobs. “We are also keen to see any other sector that can provide meaningful training and work participate as well,” he said.

Current procedures would be improved, as would be communication about schemes and programmes available. The committee was encouraged by a change in attitude among many of the groups with which it had discussed unemployment, he said. “The attitude that the Government is to blame, therefore the Government must solve it, has been completely overcome. “Unions and employers are now saying that it is partly their problem, and they wanted to help overcome it,” Mr Thompson said.

He was appalled, however, by some influential groups that had a “do nothing” syndrome, such as the National Youth Council.

Mr Thompson criticised the council for faulting Government employment schemes for school-leavers on the ground that they raised false hopes. “That is a shortsighted view that allows no credit for the value of maintaining work habits, learning work skills and generally remaining motivated,” he said.