New Zealand is slowly moving from the response to the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift in focus means we’re trying to understand what New Zealand’s recovery path might look like, and where job opportunities might be five years from now. In an earlier article, we looked at industry-level job losses in the short term to March 2021.
News
Our work in the news
Our economists are approachable and able to give commentary on a wide range of economic issues affecting New Zealand.
We enjoy sharing our views and welcome opportunities to speak with the media. If you’d like Infometrics to comment on a media story please email Brad Olsen or call our office +64 4 909 7612 to speak with one of the team.
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Here is list of Infometrics’ latest mentions in the media.
ARTICLES
Will COVID-19 continue the downward trend in regional inequality?
The COVID-19 pandemic will see very few winners. We will all come out poorer and worse off, but some will lose more than others. Low skilled workers, young workers, Māori and Pacifica workers are more vulnerable and likely to be hardest hit. These effects will exacerbate existing inequalities.
New Zealand infrastructure spending lags international partners
Continued calls for infrastructure investment and shovel-ready projects have yet to be matched with actual spending, but this problem isn’t a new one. Infometrics’ analysis of international data shows that New Zealand has been investing in infrastructure at a lower rate than other comparable countries for the last 30 years.
Chart of the Month – From airline to online
Over the past three months, much of New Zealand’s workforce (including the Infometrics team) has become far more accustomed to working from home, and to communicating with clients and teammates via Zoom, Teams, and other platforms.
Second wave of unemployment approaches
New Zealand is set to experience a second wave of unemployment as the wage subsidy comes to an end. Businesses have already started to “consult” staff about workforce levels, and with the wage subsidy starting to run out this week, more job losses are in store, especially if that store is The Warehouse or Max.
Fiscal cannon aims to flatten the economic curve
Facing the greatest economic downturn in a century, Budget 2020 was always going to present a grim picture of rising unemployment, lower economic activity, and ballooning debt. But the Budget also lays a firm foundation for the economy to recover, with spending on areas needed to both respond to, and recover from, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn.
COVID-19: an opportunity for Māori to close the gap?
In the years since the Global Financial Crisis, New Zealanders have enjoyed consistent economic growth and Māori have earned their share of this. But on many key metrics, a clear gap between the economic fortunes of Māori and non-Māori remains.
COVID-19 and the Economics of Wellbeing
For the past few months, the Infometrics team has been fully occupied with modelling the effects of the pandemic on the national economy, and on the local economies and individual operations of our clients.
In this article, Alistair Schorn takes a closer look at Infometrics Wellbeing Framework developed in 2019 to evaluate the wellbeing of New Zealand’s communities.
A day in the life of an Economist – Alistair Schorn
Infometrics welcomes Senior Economist Alistair Schorn . Alistair joined Infometrics in February and it feels like a lot has happened since then!
(Ch)Art of the Month: Data into Art
One of the great things about working at Infometrics is the view of Wellington Harbour from our office window. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen it for over two months, and don’t expect to for a little while longer. So I thought I’d cheer myself up by recreating it in a scatterplot – more Art than Chart!