'It's really, truly a struggle' - young jobseekers say laziness is not to blame

A fresh university graduate has not found full-time work for months, but resents the idea that young people are just being lazy.

Bachelor of Health graduate Fatima Alsaeed told Checkpoint she had lost count of the jobs she had applied for since graduating in May.

"As young people, we're being told that we're lazy... but it's really, truly a struggle."

While she said the uncertainty was hard, she was sick of people telling her to go to Australia.

"I don't want to go to Aussie. Us young people, if we're working hard here, paying our taxes, we want to give back to the community. We want to contribute to Aotearoa."

Alsaeed said she was left to return to university, now studying to become a primary teacher.

Figures showed the number of 15-24 year olds not in employment, training or education is up to 14-point-one percent.

The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs - who help young people not in education find work - said they believe this number was 20-30 percent more than reported.

Programme advisor Tammie Metcalfe told Checkpoint that young people today need to be taught interpersonal skills needed for work.

However, she said laziness was not the problem.

"We have really motivated young people coming in, who need to understand the world of work."

She said unemployment varied by region, with those in rural areas facing more barriers like distance.