Praise for informative ‘ODT’ report on hours of work

THANK you to the ODT for its informative ‘‘Hours of work’’ piece (‘‘Weekend Mix’’, 22.7.17). Drawing on Stats NZ figures, you revealed that since 2008 the number of New Zealanders unemployed increased by 49%, the number underemployed has increased by 61%. In Otago alone, there are 15,000 people who can’t get enough work. Wow. So much for New Zealand’s ‘‘rock star’’ economy. It has clearly been an economy of ‘‘rockbottom jobs’’ for many New Zealanders.

People lucky enough to get paid work at all are more likely to be in unstable, temporary, and underpaid jobs. How can we afford high house/ rent prices and support families with jobs like these? Perhaps if chief executives and the odd politician were also employed on ‘‘flexible’’, lowgrade, minimum wage contracts with everexpanding job descriptions, we’d start having honest conversations about whether New Zealand’s economy is ‘‘rock star’’ or ‘‘rock bottom’’ and precisely who is benefiting from it. Sonja Mitchell

Dunedin