Unemployment and jobs

Press, 1 February 1986, Page 18

Unemployment and jobs

. Sir,—lt is saddening to see attitudes towards the unemployed such as those of J. B. Stanton (January 29). As a company person, he should know that job advertisements often attract large numbers of people skilled for the job who have to be turned away. With constant rejection, there is little incentive to register as a job seeker and thus the official figures, while still high, in fact under-count the real level of unemployment. Present figures for Christchurch show 6564 people registered unemployed, with a further 3190 on Government-subsidised schemes. The 403 vacancies counted in “The Press” hardly meet the demand for work of nearly 10,000 individuals. For these people being unemployed Is difficult enough without them being labelled as “work shy.” Mr Stanton should stop blaming the individual and look at the economic and technological causes of unemployment, which is a serious problem world-wide. — Yours, etc., KAREN CRONIN. January 30, 1986.

Sir,—After reading Mr Stanton’s letter (January 29), I perused your situations vacant columns for January 25. Including hospital and university appointments, there were a consld-

erable number of positions offered, in Christchurch, and from Manapouri to Whangarei to SaudLArabia. I fake his total of 403 as read, but feel he should first count his blessings. I assume that because of his position, his salary would be greatly in excess of any social welfare benefit. I am not familiar with recent unemployment figures for Christchurch or Canterbury, but think they may reach 6000. Simple arithmetic tells, me that there must be a lot of secretaries, sales persons, part-timers, painters, etc., still waiting on the sidelines. As for the person who left employment “to go on the dole” for whatever reason, I imagine that the Social Welfare Department deemed the application legitimate.—Yours, etc., JOAN F. (MRS) CAMPBELL. January 29, 1986.