Unemployment in Queenstown has been dropping for the past couple of weeks, after a several months’ long climb, and is once again reaching the high levels the region had only previously experienced in 2003.

In May 2008, only one person in Queenstown was registered as unemployed. One year later, in May 2009, the number had risen to eight. That number jumped to a total of 109 people in December. However, as of the first weeks of 2010, unemployment has been steadily decreasing.

“Work and Income has 45 job vacancies. In addition, there are dozens of jobs being advertised locally and on national job websites,” said Working and Income New Zealand’s (WINZ) regional director Sue Rissman, explaining the sudden drop in the town’s unemployment figure.

"The hospitality industry is looking for workers, and construction seems steady," she added. 

According to Department of Labour (DoL) spokesman Rowan Saker, the DoL has put a scheme underway to attract more people to take working holidays in Queenstown. Over 300 employers were invited to take part of this hospitality pilot scheme, and 38 of those have registered 145 jobs since its launch last month.