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Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 8:05 am, November 30th, 2009 - 51 comments
Well the productivity task force is reporting back today and some of their ideas have been forward released.
As we expected they are a grab-bag of unpalatable, short-sighted and frankly mad measures from the loony right including putting interest back on student loans, flat tax and means testing free childcare. As the official announcement comes I …
Written By: Marty G - Date published: 8:51 am, November 9th, 2009 - 6 comments
Like here in New Zealand, unemployment continues to climb in America. And one of the results is soaring productivity.
(sources: 1,2)
But wait, isn’t higher productivity good?
In normal circumstances, yes, when it comes about from capital deepening (ie businesses investing in equipment rather than taking profits) or a more educated workforce. But productivity will also raise when …
Written By: Marty G - Date published: 2:50 pm, July 22nd, 2009 - 27 comments
The Government’s 2025 ‘productivity’ taskforce led by Don Brash will almost certainly come up with all the same old failed ideas that got us here in the first place. Expect a variation on the following themes:
Scrap the minimum wage
Privatise public assets
Cut taxes for the rich
Slash the public sector
Deregulate, deregulate, deregulate
Workers’ rights out the window
Lower wage …
Written By: The Standard - Date published: 1:33 pm, July 22nd, 2009 - 12 comments
Gordon Campbell has a great piece over at Scoop about Treasury’s latest ideological outburst and the resurrection of Don Brash. He points out the futility of choosing a man who played a large role in creating our wage gap with Australia in the first place to head a commission designed to close it:
Brash wants to …
Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:34 am, July 8th, 2009 - 18 comments
A few weeks ago the NZPA reported that the Government had agreed to establish a taskforce to “work on ways to close the productivity gap between Australia and New Zealand”. The taskforce would be selected by ACT leader Rodney Hide and would be announced within the month. The story then sank without a trace.
So it …
Written By: Tane - Date published: 8:09 pm, March 18th, 2009 - 93 comments
Key’s speech to the CTU today showed an interesting inight into how he thinks you lift wages. NZPA reports:
He said it was not good enough for New Zealand to be in the bottom third of the OECD for per-capita incomes, but was cautious about tackling the issue by lifting minimum wage rates.
“In reality, lifting the …
Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 6:50 am, June 19th, 2008 - 47 comments
Key reckons he could bring down inflation by targeting ‘low quality’ government spending. How?
To counter inflation, you need to increase productivity. Inflation is projected to run at 4.7% this year. The Government makes up a third of the economy. If Key was to bring that down to 2% by increasing Government productivity how much would …
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