Copeland Gordon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Copeland Gordon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:610;Page:7647] 
6.  
GORDON COPELAND (United Future) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What advice if any has he received which led him to claim that the recently announced Jobs Jolt initiatives will help employers facing skill shortages? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 In late 2002 I requested advice from officials on proven initiatives to assist labour and skill shortages identified by employers and industry sectors. The initiatives chosen for Jobs Jolt result from that advice and from information gained in our many discussions with employers industry groups and unions. 
Gordon Copeland 
: Is the Minister therefore concerned that attempts by recruitment agencies in Wellington to find out the details and extent of skill shortages in this region from Work and Income the Department of Labour and his own ministerial office have been unsuccessful; if so what does that mean for the success of the Jobs Jolt programme? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: If the member can tell me the name of the firm I will give it the World Wide Web address where it can get all that information. 
Russell Fairbrother 
: How will Jobs Jolt assist with the national skills shortage? 
Hon Member 
: The National skills shortage? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Working with a lower-case “n” I say that Jobs Jolt aims to increase the supply of labour including skilled labour and to provide opportunities for job seekers who now face the barriers of getting into the labour market. In the example of mature job seekers who are highly skilled and experienced Jobs Jolt will enable those people to be matched with job opportunities and skill shortages. In addition that will be supported by information for employers to address the areas in which they know they have shortages so they can get workers. 
Katherine Rich 
: With regard to the Minister’s earlier comments about his Jobs Jolt programme can he tell the House which section of his third-way manual contains references to removing a work-test exemption for those nearing retirement and can he explain why if he did want to talk tough on welfare it would not have been more useful to concentrate on the group most worrying to people—the under-25s? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The package does concentrate on the group of under-25s. We are work-testing people over 55 years of age and not over 50 as the member claimed last night. She does not know that people are work-tested from the age of 50 to 55 years at present so we are introducing a test here for those aged 55-plus among a range of things. I think it is chapter 13 of the third-way manual. 
Barbara Stewart 
: Can the Minister give any assurance to our highly skilled experienced and willing-to-work people in the 55 to 59-year age group that they will not be subject to any further discrimination and humiliation for having to move away from their communities and families because employers in their own areas are not prepared to hire them; and can he give them an assurance that work in other regions will not result in exploitation—like that experienced by the Ukrainian farm workers down south who were supposedly filling skill shortages? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Yes. 
Sue Bradford 
: What consultation if any took place with beneficiary groups or the Mayors Task Force for Jobs on the changes to the work-testing and sanctions regime announced in the Jobs Jolt programme? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: No specific consultation on those two matters has taken place but as I have said before we have beneficiary advocates in twice a year for example to talk about every aspect of the benefit system and no other Government has done that. We talk frequently with the Mayors Task Force for Jobs on all aspects of our policy. 
Marc Alexander 
: Does the Minister agree with the view that the Jobs Jolt initiative comprises a “lurch to the right by the Government on welfare policy”; if so is it not about time? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: I know that the member would be very encouraging if we were to move to the right but on this occasion we are developing a well-balanced package. 
Sue Bradford 
: Can the Minister inform the House of what no-go areas for beneficiaries have already been drawn up so that people can make sensible decisions if they are thinking of shifting in the near future; and what impact does he think designating no-go areas will have on business and property prices in those districts? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: The Ministry of Social Development department Work and Income has what is called a remote area policy which is what I think the member is referring to. I am obviously willing to give that to the member or to any other member of the House who would like to have it. Members should remember that what we are talking about here is an attempt to ensure that people who shift from areas where there are jobs to areas where there are no jobs are encouraged to go to areas where they can get jobs. 
Judy Turner 
: In the light of the focus in the Jobs Jolt package on discouraging unemployed people from moving into regions with few available jobs what specific initiatives are being considered to make it easier for those already living in such areas to be made aware of jobs in other regions with labour shortages and if necessary to provide more assistance for their relocation? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: Job seekers in that situation would simply need to ask their case managers to advise them of job opportunities elsewhere and if there were suitable job opportunities money would be available to help them relocate. 
Gordon Copeland 
: In the light of the fact that 43 percent of businesses are having difficulty in finding skilled staff how specifically does the Government intend to engage and communicate with the business community to find out where its labour needs lie? 
Hon STEVE MAHAREY 
: We do a number of things. For example on Friday I will be in Auckland talking at a skills and labour shortage forum. We are doing 13 of those large forums around the country. The Department of Labour has a range of survey techniques. The quarterly survey of business opinion is just out with more information and the Ministry of Social Development surveys around regions for skills shortages. I could go on but the time is short.