New high in unemployment as Govt punishes the jobless

Latest stats indicating the worst unemployment numbers since the outbreak of the pandemic are further proof that the Government’s policies are forcing people further into hardship and poverty.

“The Government should take ownership for its decision to cut thousands of jobs, and then punish the unemployed,” says the Green Party spokesperson for Social Development and Employment, Ricardo Menéndez March.

“Instead of sanctioning people for being unemployed when there is no work, we can build a workforce with good jobs that support the common good.

“We need to take a more hands-on approach when it comes to our economy and the organisation of our workforce. We can give people meaningful jobs that help us confront some of our biggest challenges by taking more control.

“Instead, this Government has deliberately increased unemployment. Increasing unemployment to tackle high inflation is a political choice not new to National governments, but this one has shown little concern at throwing tens of thousands of people out of work.

“People want to work and there are masses of important projects for people to work on - housing, climate protection, nature regeneration and others. The main barrier to people finding work is this Government.

“We have a plan to provide people with meaningful work. Our Green Jobs Guarantee will deliver an initial 40,000 jobs to rebuild our infrastructure, restore nature and build homes for people to live in.

“Our Future Workforce Agency, Mahi Anamata, will actively plan for the skills we need. We’ll revitalise and supercharge the roaring success of Jobs for Nature, and ensure everyone who wants a good, decent, living wage-paying job will get one,” says Ricardo Menéndez March.

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