Carterton Mayor Barry Keys told the Dominion last week that the legislation was expected to require the councils to tender out a third of its roading works programme in the first year, two thirds the following year and the rest the next year. Keys says confusing signals were being sent by the government ... "with one element telling councils they should be doing more to reduce unemployment, while another was almost pushing councils into unemployment ..."

Review chairman Brother Pat Lynch says it was a waste that people were training in careers that had high unemployment instead of going into job growth areas. Research showed that after a year of study, 40% of tertiary students changed courses and 30% changed faculties, because they left school unsure of what they wanted to do. Many career advisers in schools were trained counsellors "and the career advice is tacked on". But career advisers should receive continuing training and be in constant touch with businesses and other professional groups to find out where the jobs lay.

Source The Christchurch Press, 10/3/95, Recession fears as NZ dollar rises, The Dominion.

Source-NZ Herald, 6/3/95, Need For boat building trainiees by Brian Kearney

NEW RATES FROM 1 APRIL 95
(net weekly rates at the G tax-rate)

--Unemployed (single, over 25) $138.46
Unemployed (married) $230.74
--Sickness (single, over 25) $144.22
--Sickness (married) $262.24
--Invalids (single, over 18) $173.06
--Invalids (married) $288.44
--Domestic Purposes (one child) $198.31
--Domestic Purposes (two or more children) $216.34
--Superannuation (single, alone) $197.76
--Superannuation (single, shared) $182.54
--Superannuation (married) $152.12 $4.14

Black argues that despite the cost of various Buy Australia campaigns, they have not noticeably achieved their goals of reducing unemployment or reducing the effects of importing on the current account. He says that encouraging consumers to buy local products does employ more workers in some industries, but causes workers to be laid off in others. "If less imports are bought, the dollar appreciates and forces up the price of exports, in turn forcing export industries to lay off workers," he says. " Furthermore, workers involved in the importing of goods lose their jobs..."

Source The Dominion, 15/3/95, Buy Australia call gets poor report call in new book

Figures from the Capital Development Agency showed that women setting up in business pay an average of 2 % more interest on loans than men. And Maori women pay an average of 4% more than pakeha women. Women spent less on starting a business than men, and made smaller profits. The entrepreneurs also worked a longer day than their male counterparts, clocking up an extra four hours on average.

Osterberg believes that workers in western economies today are not looking for jobs just in terms of what they will provide in the form of money or career opportunities. Workers want to be involved in a `personal development process'. Osterburg : " The primary purpose of a company is no longer just to make a profit, but to also become a platform for the personal development of those working in the economy." The World Business Academy, which has more than 100 members, is comprised of business leaders who believe that business has to redefine its role in society. "We all think that business has the potential to become a change agent. We inform other businessmen what is going on in order to get the fear out when it is coming to the surface..."

The Time feature echoes many of the themes of the Copenhagen Social Summit, reporting that the global economic revolution is also leading to bitter class differences and social dis-integration in many Western countries : " Clearly the Information Revolution will reward those with the appropriate skills and penalise those who lack them, creating resentment amongst those left out..." As the traditional industrial economies move into more service-based economies, Time predicts that in the not too distant future only 10% of workers will be employed in manufacturing.