Maori: more qualified, better jobs, lower unemployment

The number of Maori with qualifications is increasing and qualification levels are getting higher.

A new Department of Labour survey shows two striking features: a big drop in the proportion of the Maori working age population with no qualification (from 68 percent in 1986 to 39 percent), and a rise in the proportion who gained qualifications at school and went on to get post-school qualifications.

Between 1992 and 2003, Maori employment increased at all skill levels, but the growth was by far the greatest in highly skilled, higher-paid occupations (managers and professionals).

Furthermore, this growth was more than three times that of the growth in highly skilled non-Maori employment.

On average, Maori working in highly skilled and skilled occupations have higher qualifications than those working in semi-skilled and elementary occupations.

Much of this employment success has been due to Maori increasing their skills and education, the report says.

Although the increase in the number of Maori leaving school with qualifications has only been slight in the past decade, the number gaining tertiary qualifications has increased dramatically.

Most of this growth has been because of the large increases in enrolments at wananga but there have also been healthy increases in university, polytechnic and private training establishment enrolments, and Maori industry trainee numbers have climbed about 60 percent in the past four years.

The Maori tertiary education participation rate is now higher than the non-Maori rate: approximately 20 percent of Maori over 15 are in some form of tertiary education, and two-thirds are women.

Prominent Maori businessman and NZ Business Roundtable chairman Rob McLeod said the report was very encouraging and showed the importance of human capital development as a gateway to economic performance which was the gateway to social performance.

"The report shows the crucial importance of developing human capital in Maori communities. Treaty settlements will provide only a fraction of the economic power of upgrading human capital.

"Treaty settlements of $1b, for example, would give a one-off payment of about $1667 per Maori person. But the capitalised value of increased wages of $1667 per annum sustained for a working life would be worth about $42,000 per person," Mr McLeod said.

The report, "Maori Pathways - Te Ara Maori", is at this web page.