Job losses cast shadow over season celebrations – Editorial

Job loss is a heavier burden to bear during a season already weighted with emotional expectations. Photo / 123RF

EDITORIAL With mounting job losses across the country, this Christmas will be challenging for many New Zealand families – not just those already struggling.

The statistics tell a grim story: thousands of roles cut within the public sector as part of a government-mandated downsize; in Auckland alone, 10,000 jobs disappeared the year to September; the construction sector suffered a 5% decline in jobs; the media industry has been hit hard, with Newshub closing operation in July, and job losses at TVNZ, Whakaata Māori and NZME before Christmas. The latter confirmed this week that it is closing 14 of its community newspapers.

The September quarter unemployment rate climbed to 4.8%, up from 3.2% two years ago, slightly better than the predicted 5% by the Reserve Bank, and still below the pandemic peak of 5.3% in late 2022, but it casts a long shadow over a season traditionally meant for joy.

These figures are not just numbers. They represent parents, partners, and workers heading into Christmas uncertain about how they will meet next year’s challenges. Many will cut back on spending, endeavouring to celebrate on reduced budgets, while others may slip deeper into debt, drawn by Black Friday discounts and buy-now-pay-later schemes.

Job loss is devastating, but its impact is particularly cruel during the holiday season. As well as the potentially escalating financial hardship, it undermines security, confidence, and purpose. It’s a heavier burden to bear during a season already weighted with emotional expectations.

Charles Dickens’ lessons in A Christmas Carol remain relevant more than 180 years later. Writing in a time of great social inequality, the story captured the enduring challenges of hardship during the festive season. The ghost of Christmas Present reveals to Scrooge two emaciated children: Ignorance and Want.

The symbolism is powerful: Ignorance is visible in decisions that deepen inequality and inequity – choices that prioritise profits over people, cut essential services, and widen the gap between rich and poor. Want is reflected in the rising number of families seeking help from food banks and charities like Manurewa Marae – indeed many marae groups around the country – and the City Mission. The symbolic children remind us that our actions – or inaction – have profound consequences.

As job losses mount across the country, the weight on many New Zealand families this year is undeniable.

In an update on the Government’s nine public service targets early this month, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon confirmed unemployment was forecast to increase to almost pandemic levels 5.2%.

However, he was confident the economy was turning a corner.

Many families will be holding on to that hope.