Low Unemployment Prompts Focus on Quality Work

Continuing low unemployment is very welcome and provides an opportunity to focus on work quality and employment security, the Council of Trade Unions said today.

Statistics New Zealand’s quarterly Household Labour Force Participation survey out this morning showed a tight labour market remains, with unemployment at 3.5%.

“The latest figures strongly support the Government’s active labour market approach which invests in people and boosts skills and training.  We need to see this continue, with an increased focus on the quality of work,” CTU secretary Carol Beaumont said.

“The CTU thinks there are five features that will define decent, quality work and a modern workplace,” she said.

“It will be high wage and high value; it will be highly skilled; workplace practices will be based on fairness and respect; industries will be well networked and the importance of public services understood; and it will be healthy, safe and sustainable.”

With unemployment low employers needed to get moving with improving wages, as New Zealand was still in danger of losing workers to Australia where wages were on average 30 per cent higher, Beaumont added.

Ends.  Click here to read the CTU’s recently released booklet Te Huarahi mo nga Kaimahi, which discusses decent work in detail: http://union.org.nz/policy/te-huarahi-mo-nga-kaimahi