- Who is your employment spokesperson?
Steve Maharey- What are your employment policies? and What employment initiatives will your government take?
Labour will be --
-- spending more on community and public services
-- investing more in New Zealand's infrastructure
-- making finance available to business to start, grow and create more jobs
-- identifying early those job seekers likely to be unemployed long term; individual case management and one-stop shop assistance
-- making it possible for communities to create thousands of new jobs through Community Based Employment Enterprises
-- ensuring that within three years all school leavers will be able to go into paid employment, or further training and education
-- guaranteeing that all workers will have the opportunity to retrain and upskill throughout their working life
-- "Greening the Economy" to ensure both ecological sustainability and more job opportunities
-- piloting income support programmes to ensure no one is financially worse off when they take a job
-- asking local economies to take responsibility for the delivery of employment policies to ensure they match local needs
-- encouraging changes in work patterns which will increase job opportunities, promoting family friendly workplaces and encouraging a better balance between paid employment and family responsibilities
- How will you encourage local government to be active in solving unemployment?
Labour will encourage local economies to take responsibility for the delivery of employment policies to ensure they match the local needs by --
-- changing the Local Government Act to encourage local governments to become involved in business and employment issues;
-- identifying local economic leaders to co-ordinate a network of business and employment services.
- How will you encourage community groups working in this field?
Labour's Community Based Employment Enterprises (COMBEE) will make it possible for communities to create new jobs. The enterprises will operate as small businesses, receive an establishment grant, receive payment for all unemployed people taken on and engage in work activities or contracts approved by a local community committee.- Will you make any changes or additions to NZES programmes?
-- early identification of job seekers who are at risk of long term unemployment;
-- individual case management to assist them back into employment;
-- assurance that people who are 'job ready' have the resources they need to search for a job;
-- establishment of a 'one-stop-shop' to enable the delivery of all employment related services at one point.
- Will you make any changes or additions to ETSA programmes?
Labour's Employment Skills Development Act will ensure that our workforce is well trained and continues to be retrained. The task of monitoring the implementation of the strategy and the progress of skills development will be done by the Education and Training Support Agency (ETSA).- Will you make any changes or additions to CEG programmes?
In addition to present programmes CEG will administer an ArtWorks programme, recognising that arts organisations are avenues for employment. The CEG will also administer a new "Towards 2000" programme designed to establish long term employment projects in new areas of economic development.- What are your policies and initiatives on subsidised work programmes?
Labour will review the funding levels and eligibility criteria for subsidised work schemes, compared with those for work based training schemes, to ensure employers are encouraged to take on staff.- What are your policies and initiatives on education and training for the unemployed?
Within five years of becoming government Labour guarantees that all people who are unemployed long term (over 26 weeks) are in training (vocational and/or remedial), work, or education. Labour will also ensure that all school leavers can go into paid employment, or further education, or training - (numbers of young people in apprenticeship training will increase).- What are you planning to do about welfare benefits?
Labour will restore invalids and beneficiaries with children to 1991 income levels. Other benefits will also increase, and they will simplify the benefit structure.
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