Maori unemployment UP...

Doesn't seem to be featuring in mainstream media coverage but Maori unemployment is UP in a climate of generally declining jobless. What the fuck?!

Source: http://stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/income-and-work/employment_and_unemployment/LabourMarketStatistics_HOTPJun17qtr/Related%20Links.aspx

NB: Our whanau has emigrated to Canada and I must confess to be somewhat disconnected from issues that once featured regularly on these pages which started as a an effort to catologue and collate miscellaneous data on the so-called Maori economy (which I remain highly dubious about).

I will shortly be setting up a new webpage to rationalise my various interweb contributions.

Maori Unemployment falls but...

September unemployment data shows the lowest unemployment rate since 2008 at 4.9%

Maori rate still double figures, as is Pasifika...

Maori unemployment is 10.6%, Pasifika 10.1%, both stubbornly high. Wage increases are stubbornly slow at 1.6%. While official inflation is still historically low (0.2%), I'm not the only one noticing a shitload of things just keep costing more and more...

Unemployment by ethnicity and age...

In response to a very important comment a while ago (apologies for the delay in responding :) I tracked down this data:

We see significantly greater unemployment in Maori and Pasifika 15-24 year-olds - 28-29% - and also in the 25-34 age group.

StatsNZ post a useful, unashamed, historical overview of the impacts of neoliberalism on Maori unemployment here. A better, academic, analysis by Brian Easton is here.

Latest Maori un/employment data...

NZ Labour Force survey data in from December 2015. Headline data is unemployment surprisingly down...

Labour participation data interesting...

While Maori unemployment is down (but still double figures) our participation in employment is 

declining. Pasifika participation well up, Pakeha up. The structure of the NZ economy seems to be favouring Pasifika participation - a rapid increase - over Maori and Pakeha. This says something about the type of jobs (service sector?).

Unemployment to June 2015

Slight increase in Aotearoa NZ unemployment rate (to 5.9% from 5.8%), with Maori figures unchanged...

While NZ compares reasonably in the OECD, if Maori were a country ...

Latest unemployment figures...

Household Labour Force Survey for December 2014 just out.

In seasonally adjusted terms, unemployment was 5.7% in the December 2014 quarter. That's up 0.3 percentage points from the September 2014 quarter. 8,000 more people being unemployed over the quarter. Merry fricken Xmas, right?

For Maori, unemployment was down 0.2 to 12%, still shit and the drop is within the margin of error.

'One the first day of Xmas my government gave to me, a Maaori ecooooonomyyy'

The latest reports on 'our economy' are out. This one from Kinnect/MPI finds that not only is MPI brilliant at working with (selected) Maori, there remain issues over governance, scale and capability, specifically:

• a need to consolidate multiple owners with small shareholdings into mandated governance entities with effective decision making;
• economic scale to support profitable agribusiness;
• and the capability to grow agribusiness productivity and profitability.

Another report (PriceWaterhouseCoopers/MPI December 2014, same link as above) has some interesting tables on Maori land use and potential for improvement. Note over a quarter of Maori Freehold Land (MFL) is in natural forest and a further 8% in plantation forest. Conversion to dairying remains the sexy beast in the picture... 

The purpose of this report was to confirm the value of additional work into converting and otherwise innovating on Maori land (the original impetus for this came from the BERL reports of 2011 I've posted on before). The Benfit Cost Ratio of 'interventions' are tabulated below, by sector:

A figure below 1 means you technically 'lose' money by intervention.

We can quibble about methodology till the cows come home but dairying remains the go to approach for growing our/the economy (although note horticultures high BCR though against a very low percentage of MFL).

So, business-as-usual.

Given the now confirmed decline of our water quality, including our iconic beaches (remember when iwi/Maori were the risk to these strips of foreshore and seabed?!), there are considerable costs and risks associated with dairy. Further, given the urban character of our rangatahi and the struggle we have with the education system, how to we get our people into secure employment when the trend is less security?

No answers, just more patai.

Meri kirihimete tatou katoa!

Simon Lambert

 

Maori unemployment back up?

WTF as the rangatahi would say...

Yeah, we're the brown line, the line that is heading UP while the other line (labelled 'European' in the Houshold Labour Force Stats), the blue line, is heading down.

Oh yeah, what the fuck indeed...

Maori unemployment finally down...

It took a while but the Government can now go into the election boasting a cut to Maori unemployment.

Source: Statistics NZ Household Labour Force Survey

Maori unemployment worsening

Latest Household Labour Force Survey shows an increase in unemployment for both Maori, to 13.2% from December 2013's 12.8% (sampling error of 1.6%).

Despite claims that the NZ economy 'is on fire', Maori are not able to fully participate.

This is shit.

Wider unemployment is flatlining at 6% (predictions were for 5.8%) although labour force participation is up. Wages are flat although hours worked are up 2.7%.

Interesting times. I suspect the net migration increase (cuzzy's coming back from Oz) means increased competition for still scarce jobs as well as inflation pressures although housing may be easing back. (Housing may be crashing...)

Latest unemployment figures: Maori and Pasifika labour force participation way up...

Stats NZ has just released the latest Household Labour Force Survey.

Unemployment is down...

Labour participation is up, dramatically so for our Pasifika whanaunga...

This volatility reflects the transient nature of jobs for Maori and Pasifika workers.

Up in the morning, out on a job...

The line is from an old Willie Nelson song, 'Lucky Old Sun'. Work defines so much of who and what we are, for better or worse, and in a capitalist society, if you don't own something that earns you an income then you basically sell your labour.

That's what makes the Labour Force participation rate so important for an economy.

NZ Labour Force Participation Rate

What this means is that less NZers are working which can only lead to greater poverty. Next quarters figures are out in November. Will be interesting reading...

Fuss with my woman, toil for my kids

Sweat till I'm wrinkled and gray

But the lucky old sun ain't got nothing to do

But roll around heaven all day

Canterbury Maori Unemployment...

...is down again, slightly, tracking down with the overall Maori unemployment (still an unhealthy 12.8%). Big drop in Canterbury from September to December (2012), perhaps an indicator of the rebuild picking up speed.

Maori Unemployment in Canterbury and NZ (from Household Labour Force Survey, Statistics NZ)

I'm curious to see the figures for Christchurch migration, especially from the Eastern suburbs from where about 10,000 peeps have moved. These suburbs are home to a significant number of Maori. Whose left?

Maori unemployment down again...

Latest Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) shows Maori unemployment down again, along with overall unemployment. Pasifika figures also improving but note both communities are still worse than mid-2011:

% unemployment, March quarter 2013 

Waiting to be sent Maori in Canterbury figures. Will post as soon as I have them...

Latest Maori unemployment data: is this good news?

December quarter Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) is out. Headlines will read a drop in unemployment, lead funnily enough, by Maori...

Unemployment rate by ethnicity, Dec Q, 2012

But this reduction comes from a decline in those looking for work, as shown by the data for employment rates...

Employment rate by ethnicity, Dec Q 2012

So, where are people going? Or what are they doing?

Difficult to see how NZ economy can grow from these figures.

Latest Maori unemployment figures dire...

Latest Household Labour Force Survey for the September quarter shows a rise in Aotearoa/NZ's unemployment to 7.3%.

The rise is reported as 'unexpected', a statement which merely highlights the empirical and methodological ignorance of current economics.

For Maori, we're back to the levels last seen in the worst of the GFC (Global Financial Crisis): 15.1%.

Considering how many of us have joined the exodus to Ahitereiria [jobless rate in Oz unchanged at 5.4%], this is a staggeringly bad result. Also, given the general confidence and excitement of this years FOMA conference, this result reinforces the two-speed Maori economy. A select and lucky few are doing very well; the great majority are not, and in fact seem to be in a downward spiral.

Expect the usual platitudes.

Maori unemployment down

Although headlines read unemployment has risen over the past quarter, it has actually decreased for Maori, down to 12.8% from 13.9% in the first quarter of 2012.

Pasifika unemployment is also down, from 16% to 14.9%.

Canterbury figures are much worse overall: Male unemployment up from 5.5% to 6.5%; female rate disconcertingly up from 4.9% to 8.3% The overall rise, although slight, shows how badly stalled the economy is.

Maori and Pasifika poverty

No surprises that the income gap between Maori and Pasifika communities and what are still colloquially called 'Europeans' (I think they mean Pakeha) has grown over the past four years of wider economic contraction.

The Vulnerability Report, published by the NZ Council of Christian Social Services contains some frightening information on how the local recession and GFC (Global Financial Crisis) have impacted upon vulnerable whanau.

Maori youth NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) is particularly galling (see graph below) but there are tragic consequences across the entire gamut of Maori and Pasifika communities.

It is difficult to know where to begin on resolving all this. First, it exposes the current political approach - Maori Party coalition with National and ACT - an abject failure (and I hear strange rumblings about Whanau Ora here in Otautahi and lesewhere, the one policy that the Maori Party has pinned their reputation on). Second, I am now very distrustful of the iwi-based approach of Treaty settlements, voiced earlier through ongoing posts on the so-called Maori Economy. The 'Maori Economy' represents Maori-centric businesses that variously engage with their own shareholders.

The wider reality of Maori economic being-ness is clearly bad and getting worse.

The GC still shines for Maori

I caught a little of episode three of 'The GC' last night and thought some reinterpretation is needed, given the crap review by someone at Fairfax.

Why crap?

Well, the reviewer mocked their looks (universally above average, although ugly people only make it on tv as bad guys), their lifestyle (it's a beach and bar town), and their interactions ('Neph!' 'Where's the aunties', 'Leave the mumsies at home') but somehow missed what was screaming its presence: wealth.

These are a bunch of young Maori who've come from Gisbourne, Lower Hutt and so on ... check the stats for Maori unemployment. And now, as scaffolders, they can earn enough money to purchase property, and the personal trainer is opening his own gym.

Tame who comes in for the most vitriol because of his (edited) self-centred world of body and booty, waxed lyrical about his parents and how he was building his portfolio (six propertiers, six!) in honour of them.

Okay, it's all relative and I think the Aussie economy is tanking (in which case property will crash first).

But what do you think our rangatahi see when they watch this?

They see 'Once was poor' whanaunga living a lifestyle they don't have to dream about. They can pack their bags and jandals and get a one-way ticket to the Gold Coast.

We recently interviewed several whanau who have left Otautahi because of the earthquakes. They're doing very nicely thank you, the earthquakes were just the trigger - most had considered leaving for Oz for many years.

Go the GC.

Maori and Pasifika unemployment up again

Latest Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) shows the number of Maori out of work has risen for the fourth consecutive quarter to 13.9%, up from 13.4%.

Unemployment numbers for our whanunga from Te Moana Nui a Kiwa have jumped from 13.8 to 16%.

This jump has been labelled 'unexpected' but is a reflection of poorly poor-forming world and local economies.

Tough times for too many although those already wealthy just seem to get richer...