Unemployment

The Forsyth Barr Stadium loomed large in Dunedin's building activity figures last year, with the project pushing up the value of building consents for the year by $116 million.

All Anterea Matana and his wife Mina want for Christmas this year are jobs.

The severe toll the recent recession took on New Zealand's labour market was confirmed yesterday when figures released showed that the country's unemployment level reached 6.5% in September.

While the number of people on benefits is rising, there are some positive signs that government efforts to blunt the pain are working, says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

The Government's offer to subsidise youth wages has resulted in 55 jobs being taken up and 79 more about to be filled, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said today.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is right to audit the highest-paid beneficiaries, Prime Minister John Key says.

Another 303 frontline staff will be hired by Work and Income to help people find jobs, the Government said today.

There were 55,272 people on the dole at the end of July, documents released today show.

Unemployment is going to get worse before it gets better, Finance Minister Bill English said today after latest statistics showed it had risen to 6 percent.

A new scheme to get youth into jobs should include a guarantee no existing workers are made redundant, Labour says.

The Government is being called on to ensure youth can still get support if they fail to take up schemes to get into education, work or training.

Labour and National traded blows over lengthening dole queues today, with the Opposition accused of a policy backtrack and the Government attacked for not doing enough to help.