In this issue, DOL look at the results from the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) for the June 2010 quarter.

DOL also point readers to the Skills Highway, a website that provides employers with information about workplace literacy skills training.

DOL Futures and Research team look at the critical role Asian people will play in New Zealand’s current and future workforce in a new report.

DOL bring you up to date on our nationwide meetings with tertiary education organisations, aimed at identifying how the Department plus other government and regional business organisations can provide labour market information to them.

To find out more, keep reading.

The labour market weakened after a very strong March 2010 quarter

The HLFS for the June 2010 quarter showed that employment fell slightly and the unemployment rate rose from 6.0% to 6.8%. However, compared with the December 2009 quarter, more people were in employment and there were fewer people looking for work. Any assessment of the labour market should look through the recent short-term volatility and concentrate on the longer term trend.

Read our Labour Market Update here.
 

Skills Highway showcases workplace literacy pioneers

Four in 10 New Zealand adults have problems with reading, writing, maths or communication. The Department’s new Skills Highway website for employers explores the benefits of workplace literacy skills training. Practical and business-focused, the site has stories from employers as well as free tools and resources.

Employers can visit the Skills Highway website.

The Asian Workforce: A critical part of New Zealand’s Current and Future Labour Market

By 2026 the size of the Asian workforce is projected to equal the Maori workforce. This will have several labour market implications such as changing attitudes, values and work ethic. The report examines the emerging group of highly skilled, youthful and entrepreneurial Asian workers, using Census data.

Read the report here.

Regional labour market information meetings

The Department has coordinated a series of regional meetings across the country, to explain to tertiary education organisations what labour market information is available from a range of government and regional business organisations.

Meetings have been held in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Napier, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin with future meetings scheduled for Wellington – 17 August and Whangarei – 20 August.

A booklet has been created to explain what labour market information tools and reports we can provide.

If you would like a copy of the booklet email [email protected].

For a copy of the regional presentations or to register for the Wellington or Whangarei meetings email [email protected].