Figures released today show unemployment is at a nine year high, at 5.2%. But Auckland is ahead of the pack on 6.1%. In the past year 16,000 more people have joined the snaking queue of people looking for work, bringing the total number to 158,000. Finance Minister believes the worst is over, but some economists believe it's even worse than it looks, the number of hours worked is on the decline for the sixth quarter in a row and there's an increase in underutilisation - people who want more work but can't get it. Salvation Army Principal Social Policy analyst Paul Barber spoke to Lisa Owen.