'Young, thriving Māori workforce' key to boosting future economy

The Minister of Employment Willie Jackson has welcomed the release of a report finding that removing the inequalities faced by Māori would boost the economy by $2.6 billion each year.

The Change Agenda: Income Equity for Māori report, developed by Tokona Te Raki: Māori Futures Collective, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Business and Economic Research Ltd (BERL), considers how inequalities experienced by Māori will impact on New Zealand’s skills and labour markets in the future.

“This country’s prosperity in the future will depend on a young, thriving Māori workforce, particularly given that Māori will make up one-sixth of the New Zealand workforce by 2038,” says Willie Jackson.

“The latest employment figures still show that Māori are over-represented in negative employment statistics when compared to national rates.

“We have a real opportunity as Government to utilise this potential – for the benefit of all New Zealanders – and reduce a number of the barriers Kiwis face in gaining dignified work with a decent wage.

“This will require us to work in new ways and come together to create new and bold solutions. This Government is committed to improving the coordination of employment-related support, including ongoing monitoring of the effectiveness of the skills systems and labour market.

“We cannot achieve this on our own and I challenge Iwi, communities, businesses and education providers to work with us to maximise our impact,” Willie Jackson said.

A copy of the report can be found here: maorifutures.co.nz