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Source: ONE News -
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New figures show New Zealand workers are not confident they will be able to hang on to their job.
ONE News looks at how the proposed 90 day Employment Bill, which means that the right not to be dismissed without due process within the first three months, will affect their job security.
Ross Blake is a man who is going to have a lot more time to spend on his boat, if he can afford to keep it.
One of many New Zealanders suffering from the economic downturn, he has just lost the printing job he held for ten years.
"Nervous I guess, maybe always waiting for it to happen. Again, I mean, I don't think there's a lot of job security in a lot of jobs at the moment, " Blake says.
The latest figures show nearly a quarter of New Zealand workers are insecure in their jobs, and that the most insecure are young workers and households earning less than $40,000 a year.
Although the majority of workers do not expect to see a pay rise in the next year, there is still 39% who remain confident.
But researchers say more jobs could be on the line than we realise.
Researcher Emanuel Kalafatelis at Grab New Zealand says "I myself think that's actually a relatively low figure, and I say that because I think there are some people out there who are in denial."
While there are fears the government's 90 day probation Bill will make workers even more vulnerable, the business community thinks the Bill will encourage employment.
"I think it's important that workers don't panic, that they act logically and think about their prospects in their job because most people won't lose their job [in the middle of this economic downturn]" said Nz Business Chief Executive Phil O'Reilly.
