March 14, 2018 4:00pm by David Farrar

9.600 unemployed in HB but only 14 apply for a job

A concerted effort to find fruit pickers in Hawke’s Bay saw just 14 people express an interest and has resulted in the declaration of a regional labour shortage.

The Ministry of Social Development made the declaration on Monday.

The declaration would run from March 12 until April 6.

The peak harvest season is expected to be short, running for about 21 days, with a forecast 14 million cartons of apples being packed, a jump of 1.3 million cartons compared to last year.

According to the Sep 2017 HLFS there are 9,600 unemployed people in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne. Yet only 14 people have applied for these 350 jobs.

WINZ data says there are 2,991 people in HB receiving the jobseeker benefit. How can this be? They don’t seem to be seeking a job.