The Employment Strategy
Geoff Bascand
Department of Labour
11 October 2001
Establishing
the Employment Strategy
• A well functioning labour market is critical
to social cohesion and economic progress.
• The Employment Strategy contributes to
three key Government goals & links with
other strategies such as ‘Reducing
Inequalities’.
Background & Principles of
the Employment Strategy
• Seeks the development of a broad set of
mutually supportive, co-ordinated
policies across a number of Ministerial
portfolios.
Background & Principles of
the Employment Strategy
• The Employment Strategy provides a broad
framework:
for policy makers to understand about what
matters for achieving employment objectives;
within which the Government’s employment
priorities can be established & policies can be
developed & implemented.
Key Government Goals


Principle Objectives of the Strategy


High Level Strategic Goals


Policies and Programmes
Key Objectives of
the Employment Strategy
• Minimising disadvantage: to minimise the
incidence of persistent disadvantage in the
labour market
• Maximising potential: to maximise the
number of jobs and the level of earnings for all
High Level Strategic Goals
• Macroeconomic stability: sustained economic growth
and employment growth
• Removing barriers to job growth
• Flexible, highly skilled workforce
• Developing strong communities
• Improving Mäori and Pacific participation
• Improving participation of people with disabilities and
other groups at risk
Human Capabilities Framework
Achieving the Strategy’s principle objectives is
dependent on policies and programmes that are:
• Opportunity creating - maximise employment
opportunities through a steady growth in the demand
for labour
• Capacity building - encourage the development of
skills that are valued in the labour market and
• Matching - facilitate a well-functioning labour market,
minimise barriers to the matching skills and jobs,
facilitate participation in the labour market and assist
adjustment to changes in circumstances
Monitoring Regime
The Strategy is monitored at two levels:
• Outcomes - provides a detailed summary of progress in
relation to the Employment Strategy goals (every twelve
months).
• Activities - provides a detailed summary of government
activities and initiatives that have contributed to the
achievement of the Employment Strategy goals (every
six months).
How were Outcome Measures Chosen?
• Outcome measures arose from goals
• Some relationships strong, eg can directly
measure economic growth.
• Other outcomes measured by proxy, eg
measuring developing strong communities using
regional unemployment / employment statistics
How were Outcome Measures Chosen?
• Evaluations planned or underway e.g. employment
evaluation strategy; community action research
• Process of measurement is evolving by encouraging
developments in agencies eg Integrated employeremployee data (with SNZ, Treasury etc), MSD’s
Social Indicators
• Use of robust, well-tested measures that are updated
regularly
Strengths of Employment Strategy
• The Strategy deals with issues that cross
departments and agencies
• It has both an operational and policy focus
• “Top-down” and “bottom -up” approach: subgoals developed from underlying objectives.
Activities provide focus at an operational level.
• Regular monitoring process
• Involvement & development of EMPSOG
Employment Senior Officials Group
(EMPSOG)
 Established in 2000
 EMPSOG’s objectives are:
• Reviewing progress towards the accomplishment
of the Employment Strategy
• Assessing and identifying any changes in
priorities
EMPSOG
• Supporting the development of initiatives,
through co-ordination with other related
initiatives and alignment with strategic objectives
• Representatives from DoL, MSD, MED, Careers
Services, TPK, Treasury, Skill NZ, MOE,
MoRST, MYA, MWA, MPIA & DPMC
Issues
• Relationship of Employment Strategy to other
Government strategies
• Relevance of activities and outcomes to other
departments / agencies
• Continuing level of inter-agency support and
involvement
• Ability to improve analysis around the outcomes /
activities relationship