The low-income neighbourhoods are mostly white French working-class mixed with immigrants from France's former colonies in Arabic-speaking North Africa and sub-Suharan black Africa. Dyer discounts the assertion the riots are race-based, pointing out that about half the young people burning cars and buildings are white, working-class, post-Christian French — who get along fine with black and Muslim kids. These are the people who would have formed the next generation of the French working class but who have found they are no longer needed in that role and they have no future. They are not politically organised but they are very angry.

The riots were sparked by the accidental deaths of two teenage Muslim boys hiding to avoid a police identity check. But the festering social conditions ignited rage amongst thousands of lower-class young people across dozens of suburbs and towns radiating from Paris right down to the Mediterranean and up to Normandy. Almost all the violence has been focused on property, with hundreds of cars being torched every night.

These injustices are the lack of decent jobs, decent housing and an equal chance at social mobility for a significant section of the French population. Unemployment is these communities is as high as 30% — over three times the national average. And the jobs that are available tend to be menial. Abdel Rahman Bouhout, head of the Muslim Cultural Association in Clichy-sous-Bois, the suburb where the violence initially erupted: "People are under pressure, they feel the anger of no jobs and no chance to improve their lives until finally—boom! — it just explodes."

Source — New Zealand Herald, 8 November 2005, "Rioting kids of all colours" by Gwynne Dyer; Boston Globe, 6 November 2005, "Youths' poverty, despair fuel violent unrest in France, Islamic underclass vents frustration", by Colin Nickerson and Petra Krischok; Globe and Mail, 7 November 2005, "The fiery rage of immigrant alienation" by Susan Sachs.

JOBS AND THE BIRD FLU

The Ministry's co-ordinator of pandemic planning Steve Grazier says it is a matter of when, not if, such a virus will arrive in New Zealand and predicts it will be a "very, very significant" event. Grazier: "Even if it is only 40% of the workforce, you can imagine that will have a devastating effect on commerce and factories."

Many businesses would stop trading abruptly while others will grind to a halt. Supermarkets would be hard pressed to continue normal operations. Places where the public normally meets — pubs, restaurants, cinemas, clubs — will probably just close down. And as the resulting cashflow slows or stops, many businesses could face bankruptcy and be unable to re-open.

Businesses are being urged to make contingency plans to cope with a reduced workforce. The Sunday Star Times reports that MED is considering urging all employers to explore how they could shut down their businesses for at least a week during the most contagious part of an epidemic. Virologist Dr Lance Jennings points out that if is a human to human avian flu reaches New Zealand, all the schools will be shut and parents are going to have to look after their children at home. Jennings: "Companies need to think about how they are going to manage with reduced staff."

If the predicted tens of millions of people around the world are affected by sickness, the international economic implications are immense. The World Bank estimates a human influenza pandemic could cost the industrialised economies alone US$550 billion. Some overseas economists are predicting economic turmoil unseen since the Great Depression of the 1930s, with massive unemployment and national economies slashed.

Source — NZPA, 21 October 2005, "Bird flu's economic consequences"; Dominion Post, 31 October 2005, "Flu could lead to legal landmine"; Sunday Star Times, 16 October 2005, "Be ready for flu, firms told"; Sydney Morning Herald, 20 October 2005, "NZ govt plans to combat bird flu:, New Zealand Herald, 21 October 2005, "Borders will close in case of pandemic" by Martin Johnston; New Zealand Herald, 2 November 2005, "Cabinet to look at bird flu powers" by Helen Tunnah; Reuters, November 2005, "Bird flu could cost rich nations $815b; The Press, 15 October 2005, "Facing the flu" by Anna Claridge".

JOB GROWTH SLOWING

Skill shortages seem to have plateaued after hitting a 30-year high earlier this year. But staff shortages are still very high on an historical basis with 43% of firms reporting having increased difficulty finding skilled/specialist workers.

The Department expects unemployment to remain below 4% for another year but predicts it will begin to rise after 2006.

ENERGY PROJECTS STRUGGLING FOR STAFF

Fitzroy Engineering, the biggest New Zealand contractor on the $1 billion Pohokura gas field in Taranaki, has created 100 jobs, two-thirds of them for tradespeople. The company is actively recruiting people from all around New Zealand and is now negotiating to bring in tradespeople from Malaysia to meet the shortfall. Managing director Peter Robinson-White says the company has had to train a lot of staff to get the required skill levels and there is still a lack of experienced project managers and engineers. Robinson-White: "There is, perhaps, more work than the industry can handle."

Source — Dominion Post, 5 November 2005, "Thinking bigger" by Marta Steeman.

WORKPLACES AND PARENTS

The survey also found that many New Zealand bosses are still not giving working parents the flexible hours that they want. Many parents want more paid and unpaid special leave to look after sick children, flexible time-out during the working day for family events and appointments, suitable spaces in workplaces to bring sick children, more before and after-school care and school holiday care.

Source — New Zealand Herald, 1 November 2005, "Parental leave ticket to poorer job for many", by Simon Collins; Dominion Post, 1 November 2005 "Parents plead for flexible employers" by Sue Allen.

WORKING VISAS FOR PACIFIC PEOPLES

Clark told the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry that New Zealand has a particular shortage of seasonal workers, with 40,000 places needing to be filled each year. Many of these jobs are being filled by people coming from offshore as working holiday makers — from Europe and other developed nations.

People from the Cook Islands, Nuie and Tokelau already have open immigration access to New Zealand and there are permanent residency quotas for several Pacific countries. But reciprocal working holiday visa arrangements are negotiated bilaterally and to date haven't included Pacific countries.

Source — NZPA, 26 October 2005, "Australia and NZ differ on seasonal workers" by Maggie Tait; The National, "NZ ready to help"; Solomon Star, 1 November 2005, "Howard rejects `labour mobility'" submitted by Arthur Wate.

OTARA CULTURAL HUB

The Trust also aims to link Otara's unemployed young people into the fast-growing industrial area in neighbouring East Tamaki. Although the number of people on the dole in the region has dropped significantly over the last five years, Brown says too many young people are still coming out of school without the skills they need to go into the available jobs. A challenge the Trust is taking up is to get young people to stay at school longer and then to go on to polytechnic or university to accumulate the skills they need to get and keep a job.

Source — New Zealand Herald, 4 November 2005, "Otara to revive tourism initiative" by Simon Collins; letter from Rodger Smith, 4 November, "re Mayors Taskforce/Employment Catalyst Fund".

MINIMUM WAGE RISE

Council of Trade Unions chief executive Ross Wilson says we need to accept that people working in places like supermarkets are entitled to a living wage. And Wilson discounts the concern that a rise in the minimum wage will be inflationary or discourage employers from taking on new staff. He points out that the minimum wage rose 36% over the last six years and has not affected inflation. And the unemployment rate dropped steadily over the period. Wilson says the minimum wage rise is an important step in boosting the economy but the rise needs to happen alongside programmes to train workers for higher skilled jobs.

Source — Dominion Post, 19 October 2005, "170,000 to benefit from wage rise" by Adrian Bathgate; National Business Review, 20 October 2005, "CTU" $12 minimum wage would be good for NZ".

PSA CONCERNED BY "RAZOR GANG"

Source — Dominion Post, 21 October 2005, "Razor gang talk alarms PSA" by Vernon Small; Media release Public Service Association, 20 October 2005, "Urgent clarification sought on state sector spending review"; New Zealand Herald, 21 October 2005, "PSA seeks urgent meeting over razor gang" by Kevin Taylor.

NZ COMPARED TO OECD

— New Zealand in the OECD, , 2005, published by Statistics New Zealand (44pg, 1.04Mb) can be downloaded from here.

Source — New Zealand in the OECD, October 2005; Dominion Post, 29 October 2005, "NZ keeps up with the Joneses of the OECD" by NZPA.

WORKPLACE LEGISLATION FOR OZ

Australian Labor Party spokesperson Stephen Smith says it won't be just the unemployed moving from job to job, it will also be the four million Australians who are having their unfair dismissal rights taken away by the same legislation. Smith "What we end up with is people being forced onto inferior wages, inferior conditions and the great risk is that we end up with a working poor just like as you find in the United States."

Source — Dominion Post, 25 October 2005, "New rules leave jobless no choice" by Fairfax, AAP.

FAREWELL TO ROD DONALD

Rod Donald was the country's most passionate and articulate advocate for New Zealand as a sustainable nation. He promoted many practical ecological schemes ranging from recycling, organic agriculture and solar energy alternatives. He also championed the drive for electoral reform in this country, a campaign that led to the MMP system that brought great variety of New Zealanders into the house of representatives.

Rod Donald was also a public entrepreneur who led many initiatives in community economic development, job creation schemes, fair trading networks and Buy NZ-made campaigns. His energy, enthusiasm and pragmatism in pursuing these alternatives has brought praise and support from across the political spectrum.

Rod was also a long-time friend and supporter of the Jobs Research Trust and The Jobs Letter. We'll miss him. Our thoughts and condolences go to his family, his Christchurch friends and his parliamentary colleagues.