English – The Conversation | As entry-level jobs dry up in NZ, how can we help young people find their way into work? by Rod McNaughton, Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

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Young New Zealanders are facing a sharp decline in entry‑level positions, with youth unemployment now around 15%—roughly three times the overall rate—and traditional junior office and administrative roles disappearing. The main driver is the rapid automation of predictable, repetitive tasks by AI, which has led many firms to cut back on hiring and redesign jobs to require more complex, on‑the‑fly skills, while a surge in university graduates intensifies competition for the few remaining slots. As employers cite a lack of on‑the‑job learning opportunities and low awareness of AI‑related roles, the labour market’s “on‑ramp” for gaining practical experience is eroding, forcing universities to expand work‑integrated learning and entrepreneurship education, yet they alone cannot solve the deeper problem of keeping pathways into work open for young people.

Read more: https://theconversation.com/as-entry-level-jobs-dry-up-in-nz-how-can-we-help-young-people-find-their-way-into-work-280813

#NewZealand #artificialintelligence #Employers #Graduates #Labourmarket

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Not only is there a general problem in the way graduates' student debt is handled (hardly ameliorated yesterdays bounce interest rate cap at 6%), there is also a clear gendered dimension, perhaps most obviously demonstrated in the continued accrual of debt during maternity leave... once again raising the cost of motherhood.

Its a problem entirely the result of a (wilful) political misunderstanding of the social purpose of university education.

#graduates #politics

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/90000-later-what-student-debt-really-does-women-amy-brooker-hvcze/

Hoping to help graduates the Govt. is going to cap student loan interest rates (for both plan 2 & 3 loans) to 6% (including a RPI element for high earners)...

But the Q. is whether the cap is low enough to deal with graduates' immediate concerns: given that inflation might come in at around 4% for March, the IFS thinks higher earning graduate would gain around £500 over their lifetime while at the moment (until inflation rises over 6%) lower earning graduate gain nothing!

#graduates
h/t FT