Poor Judith

Former Labour MP Judith Tizard can't get a job.After sucking on the public tit for more than 30 years, nobody will employ her and only small newspapers will interview her. She has revealed why she was lazy in Parliament, and asleep on the plane while she was an MP.

I get terrible headaches if I do too much. It is a non-specific viral hepatitis. I am still sleeping 10-12 hours. Its hideous(but) I'm very proud of my achievements for Auckland. I don't think I could have worked harder.

Shes probably working harder now she's not an MP - cleaning the house, filling the dishwasher, driving a car, going shopping, changing the TV channel, taking more panadol for the headaches caused by the extra workload. But as she's got viral hepatitis (and I wonder how she got it?), that may qualify her for the Sickness Benefit. But she wants to run for the Auckland mayoralty because her mum was a mayor and ran for the mayoralty at about the same age as Judith is now. When will she get the time to do her 10-12 hours sleep a day if she does, let alone knit?

The full article is here, thanks to WhaleOil.

unemployment falling

Stuff has reported that unemployment has fallen to a record low.

And it is wrong - kind of.

Numbers on the Unemployment Benefit haven't fallen since September, but the unemployment rate has fallen to a record low as more non-beneficiaries are entering the workforce- students, housewives (to support their partners in a low-wage economy), prisoners and immigrants. Those coming off jobs and other benefits and onto the dole are not even matched with those coming off the dole into jobs and onto other benefits .

According to the MSD, at the end of December 270,000 were receiving a benefit, up from 263,000 in September, and 261,000 in June.Of those, according to the MSD's fact sheets, in December, 23,000 were in reciept of an unemployment benefit, the same as in September and in June. The reason there is a 2000 reduction in unemployment numbers in the past month is because of seasonal work. Ironically the number of people entering work during the last quarter was a net of 23,000 - the same number as the dole figure. Thats because 26,000 women entered the workforce - lots of students competing degrees - and 3000 few men did.

So, according to the MSD, unemployment has not reduced since June, but 9,000 more people are on benefits.

The unemployment rate may be a record low because more housewives, students and immigrants are entering work than those coming off the dole.

Unemployment benefit numbers have remained constant, but should fall substantially in the current quarter as unemployed students get jobs. However dpb numbers have increased by 1,000 every quarter since June, the invalids benefit numbers increased by 10,000 since June, but sickness benefit numbers increased by only 1000 because so many of those on the sickness benefit were transferred to the invalids benefit.

We know why the Government loves Household Laboure Force Surveys - it can crow about the participation rate. It wants more immigrants and those who conduct non ecomomic tasks - such as stay-at-home mums - to inflate it. Just don't buy the line that successful Government benefit-reduction policies lead to a higher participation rate.

Why teenage dole figures are low - and sickness and invalids beneficiaries have almost doubled

The number of teenagers on sickness benefits has doubled since 2000 and "turn a blind eye to issues in her portfolios" Minister Ruth Dyson doesn't seem to care at all. Furthermore, the Ministry of Social Development has been trying to hide figures on the number of teens getting the sickness and invalids benefits, despite several OIA requests and requests from National MP Judith Collins for figures broken down into age bands.

That could be because a few years back, Minister Maharey said that by 2007 all teens will be in either work or training that will lead to long-term economic independence and well-being. Now that it is 2008, some teens are off the Independant Youth Benefit (employment benefits to make the figures look good - even if the Household Labour Force figures say otherwise.

But the most of the rest of the teens on benefits are on sickness and invalids benefits - the rest are on the DPB. Last year to June, nearly 950 18-19 year olds went from the unemployment benefit to the sickness benefit - the biggest transfer number of any age group. Just about any unemployed who has depression can go on a sickness benefit. More teens than ever went from the unemployment benefit to the invalids benefit as well - and to do this they have to have a WINZ- funded and nonminated doctor to doctor to certify them as permanently incapacitated or unfit for any form of work for at least two years. update incorrect, Invalids beneficaries can work for up to 15 hours a week.)

Weirdly enough, this time last year, more than twice as many invalids beneficiaries were working and declaring income than sickness beneficaries. These are people who are working and at the same time are declared by WINZ nominated doctors as unfit for any type of work for at least two years. for more than 15 hours a week.

Finally the Household Labour force put Maori Youth unemployment at 14.1 percent. That doesnt worry Ruth Dyson at all because she probably thinks most of them are students.