Labour and National see different dole queues

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National and Labour have clashed over the success of youth work schemes, with one in four teenagers now unemployed.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said yesterday that unemployment figures were 23,000 lower than forecast by the Treasury this year. Currently, 59,000 – compared with a forecast 82,000 – claim the unemployment benefit.

The number of young people coming off the unemployment benefit was also down by 1722 in the past seven weeks.

However, many are continuing to sign up for the unemployment benefit, with 19,500 still claiming a benefit, and 62,000 classified as looking for work under the Household Labour Force Survey.

Yesterday, the Government announced an additional 2000 places for its Job Ops subsidised work scheme for those aged 16 to 24.

Under the scheme, employers receive $5000 for employing a young person for six months.

The Government has also announced an additional $1 million to promote Student Job Search this summer, with about 160,000 students expected to seek work.

Ms Bennett said yesterday that while overall unemployment would continue to rise for some time, the Government was determined to reduce youth unemployment.

"We've still got a large number of people going on," Ms Bennett said. "But what we are doing is getting them off. And that's why we think Job Ops and Community Max is working."

Labour social development spokeswoman Annette King said Ms Bennett was deliberately misleading the public.

She said more than 8000 young people had joined the dole queue this year, and only 1721 were in the Job Ops scheme.

- © Fairfax NZ News