Mark Mitchell and Megan Woods quizzed on OCR, unemployment rate - talking to Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking. Video / Newstalk ZB
OPINION
I am, by nature, a reasonably lazy person.
At my worst, we're talking about leaving dirty dishes on the benchtop, not twisting the bread bag clip back on or leaving the pile of washing for tomorrow.
Since moving out of home, I've discovered that other than frustrating others withmy laziness, notably my parents, it was actually holding me back.
And so, for the past couple of years, I've been trying my hardest to kick the habit.
Working for the rest of your life is a tough reality to face but it's vital to the way society operates.
A successful working population results in the promotion of community, increases civic participation and reduces public spending across a range of welfare benefits.
What we've got at the moment doesn't exactly fit the bill.
In March, there were 17,916 people in the Bay of Plenty on Jobseeker Support, compared to 11,388 in March 2017.
The unemployment rate for the country was also 3.2 per cent in the March quarter – unchanged from the December 2021 quarter.
Some people will be genuinely unemployed and doing all they can to find work. It may be that they are not qualified or for financial or family reasons not able to move to another part of the country.
But local employers say people are quitting at smoko time on their first day and others aren't bothering to show up for interviews due to a glut of opportunities in the market.
So there are jobs out there - but some people are clearly lazy.
One reader commenting on the story said the Government would rather protect people who don't want to work rather than have rules that make people work if they can.
I agree. There appear to be a plethora of hoops to jump through to get support from the Government but it looks like some people are circumventing the system.
Can the Government actually crack down on those who are just going through the motions? Are people actually showing up for interviews? Are they agreeing to jobs then failing to turn up? Is it easier to stay on a benefit?
This country cannot afford to let people not even trying to get a job sponge off hard-working taxpayers any longer - or let the problem get worse.
If the answer to the problem means going house by house, we should start knocking. Photo / Getty Images
It's not fair on taxpayers and desperate employers, and it's certainly not fair on those who genuinely cannot work.
It's time for the Government to get tough and ensure people on jobseeker benefits are actually trying to find work and to better track what is happening.
