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rmacculloch

The NZ Treasury wants to hire economists who've never studied economics (!?)

The Wellington economics fraternity has been taken aback by a job advertisement placed by the NZ Treasury as part of its international search for a "Senior Analyst". I was alerted to the ad by Sir Roderick Deane.


It says that the "analyst" is expected to "operate at the forefront of economic thought and policy to enhance the wellbeing of all New Zealanders". At the same time, the Treasury states that "We are seeking a well-rounded candidate - an economics background is not essential".


On top of it being okay not to know any economics when working for an employer whose function is to provide cutting-edge economic advice to the government, it also seems like you may not even have to bother about going to the office. Yes, you can stay at home and mess about whilst doing the odd Zoom meeting, since the Treasury now has "Flexible work arrangements" and offer their staff "encouragement to enjoy a positive work / life balance with and a range of health and well-being initiatives".


What's more, the ad says it wants the successful candidate to have a "good EQ". Seems one's "Emotional Quotient" is more important than one's "Intelligence Quotient" at the Treasury these days. By the way, the grammar and wording doesn't even make sense in parts of the ad. Maybe being able to write isn't too important there either.


If you don't believe me, read about it here:


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