Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 08 August 2013. Volume:692;Page:12515. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]1.GRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Leader—Labour)to theMinister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment: Does he stand by his statement that the Household Labour Force Survey is “the standard internationally recognised measure of employment and unemployment”?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment):Yes and I note that the household labour force survey was released yesterday and was headlined “Labour market continues to improve”. It is also worth noting that yesterday for the first time Statistics New Zealand released all three employment surveys in the same day to provide a more comprehensive picture of the New Zealand labour market at one time.Grant Robertson: In light of that answer and the fact that the household labour force survey shows that only 14000 new jobs have been created since the 2011 election is National still committed to its 2011 election promise that there will be 170000 extra jobs by 2015?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Of course the Government is committed to working towards and achieving that goal and I would point out for the member that actually 2012 as we know was a challenging year for job growth but in the first 6 months of this year the number of people employed has increased by 46000 people which means it would take about 21 months at that rate to achieve the outcome.Grant Robertson: In light of the household labour force survey being “the standard internationally recognised measure of employment and unemployment” can he confirmto the House that it now says that there are 153000 New Zealanders unemployed which is 48000 more than when National took office?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I do not know the exact numbers that the member raises but yes it is more and that will be because of a thing that the member once again tries to ignore which is the global financial crisis and another thing that the member tries to ignore which is the Christchurch earthquakes. This Government has done a very good job of navigating both.Grant Robertson: In light of the fact that the Minister does not have the figures that were released yesterday I seek leave to table the household labour force survey June 2013 quarter—Mr SPEAKER: Order! That information is freely available to all members. [Interruption ] Order! It is freely available to all members. Are there further supplementary questions?Grant Robertson: Why should the more than 153000 New Zealanders who are unemployed have any hope that they will get a job after nearly 5 years of this Government which have seen unemployment over 6 percent New Zealand slipping to being ranked 12th in the OECD and under his watch 5000 jobs going in just the last 3 months?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I completely reject the last of the member’s statements and a fair few of the rest of his statements but the key point exactly is 46000 more people employed over the last two quarters in this country. The member can obfuscate all he likes but that is the reality.Su’a William Sio: Can he confirm that the household labour force survey also indicates that Pasifika unemployment is now 16.3 percent nearly 10 percent higher than the national average and what is he going to do to specifically address Pasifika unemployment? [Interruption ]Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I think what we are seeing is that the Opposition members do not want to ask questions; they just want to make statements and maybe that is the way they want to do it. But I appreciate the member’s question actually because Pasifika unemployment has increased and it is higher than we would want in any way shape or form. [Interruption ] Well as the member probably is not aware because he does not do his homework the reality is that the Government is investing very significantly in a key Pasifika trade training initiative. I am doing that with Minister Turia. We had 600Māori and Pasifika trades training places in 2012-13. It has been successful and in the Budget this year we have announced an increase in that from 600 to 3000 places and they are currently being put in place.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Why does the Minister persist in using outdated criteria on the issue of unemployment when Roy Morgan Research just the other day put out a report saying that it was not 6.2 percent but in fact 8.8 percent and that there was a second factor which was people in seriously “under-work” situations—that is not enough hours per week—and that figure was well over 9 percent; why does he not actually get a grip on reality and the true state of unemployment under his hopeless—Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is becoming a very very long question.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well with the greatest respect to the member the Government does not run on Roy Morgan Research polls. He may run on Roy Morgan Research polls but the reality is that the household labour force survey I think from memory is about 19 times the sample size of the Roy Morgan Research poll. The other important point for the member is this: New Zealand has one of the highest rates of participation in the labour market in the world. If he is suggesting it would be higher again then frankly I think with the greatest of respect it is being made up.