Jobseeker Work Ready benefit numbers increase by 12% in a year
The Government says the benefit numbers have long been forecast to get worse before they get better – and there were “positive signs” its approach to social welfare was working.
But Labour says New Zealand families are continuing to suffer – and the Government is making the wrong decisions and mismanaging the economy.
There are two categories of Jobseeker benefits – “work ready” for those who can work now – and “health condition or disability” for those who can’t work right now for health reasons.
New data from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) shows that between September 2023 and September 2024, the number of people receiving the weekly Jobseeker Work Ready payment increased by around 12,300 people or 11.8%.
People receiving the “health condition or disability” payment increased by 11,000 people or 14.3% compared with September 2023.
However, more recent month-on-month data shows the tide is starting to turn, at least for Jobseeker Work Ready numbers, which decreased by about 300 people or 0.2% in September 2024 from the previous month. This was the first decrease since April 2024.
The number of people receiving the health condition or disability payment increased by about 2000 people or 2.3% in September compared with the previous month.
Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston described rising unemployment as a “lingering consequence” of years of high inflation, high government spending, and periods of economic recession.
“Jobseeker numbers have long been forecast to get worse before they get better, and we knew this when we set our target to reduce the number of people on Jobseeker Support by 50,000 over six years,” Upston said.
“We’re already seeing positive signs that this Government’s more proactive approach to supporting job seekers is working, with the latest monthly stats showing more than 2000 people cancelling their Jobseeker Benefit because they found work between July and September compared to the same period last year.”
The coalition Government has been focused on Jobseeker beneficiary numbers and has a goal for 50,000 fewer recipients in the next six years.
The Government has ramped up its threat of sanctions for Jobseeker beneficiaries not fulfilling their work obligations by introducing new requirements (such as attending a seminar within a fortnight of starting the payment) and a new beneficiary traffic light system.
At the time, advocate Brooke Pao Stanley, who runs Auckland Action Against Poverty, said such moves to increase sanctions would not help people get into work and would instead cause further stress to vulnerable people already living in stressful situations.
Labour’s social development spokeswoman, Carmel Sepuloni, said the Government’s actions were “taking us backwards”.
“It’s a tough time for New Zealanders. They have made the deliberate decision to lay off thousands of public servants and have cut government investment in infrastructure, like for Dunedin Hospital and school builds.
“Beneficiary numbers are skyrocketing even past Treasury’s predictions. Ministers have made the wrong choices and are mismanaging the economy at the expense of New Zealand families who are suffering from growing unemployment.”
Overall figures for main benefits – which include Jobseeker benefits as well as other payments like Sole Parent Support and the Supported Living Payment – increased by about 2500 (0.6%) month-on-month and by 29,100 (8%) year-on-year.
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Immigration: Kiwi brain drain has peaked despite another year of record departures
Migrant departures reached a record 122,800 in the year to January 2025, up 18%.
Migrant arrivals were 155,300, down 31%, with a net migration gain of 32,500.
Economists warn low net migration could impact the housing market and economic recovery.
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The number of people leaving the country long-term hit another new record in the year to January – but monthly data suggests the brain drain has peaked.
Stats NZ provisional data for the January 2025 year (compared with January 2024) showed migrant departures up 18% to 122,800, the highest on record for an annual period.
Migrant arrivals, at 155,300 were down, 31% for the year.
There was an annual net migration gain of 32,500 (± 1500), compared with a net gain of 121,800.
Down from around 33,317 in the year to December, that was the lowest rate of net migration since 2014 (outside of the Covid-19 era).
In the past few weeks, economists have warned that low levels of net migration are providing a headwind for the residential housing market and may slow the overall economic recovery.
“Over the past few months, we’ve seen net migration stabilise at annualised rates around 25-35k. It leaves us with a view of positive but below average expansion in the population over the next 18 months or so,” BNZ chief economist Mike Jones said in a note last month.
“That adds to the list of factors likely to check the pace of recovery this year.”
Commenting on the latest numbers, ASB senior economist Mark Smith noted that weaker net immigration had “eroded a key leg of support for the New Zealand housing market, domestic demand, and labour market capacity”.
“Easing economic support from net immigration will weigh on economic growth and translate into greater spare capacity,” he said.
Annual migrant arrivals peaked at 234,800 in the year ended October 2023. Annual net migration peaked in the year ended October 2023 with a gain of 135,500.
For New Zealand citizens, the net migration loss of 44,200 in the January 2025 year shows a stabilisation of the ‘brain-drain’ trend.
It was a slight improvement from a net migration loss of 44,700 Kiwis in the January 2024 year, and a loss of 44,375 for the year to December 2024.
The monthly data shows the rate of Kiwi departures peaked in the year to August 2024 when a net 47,147 departed long-term.
That was still high compared to an average annual net migration loss of 27,100 in the January years 2002 to 2013 and an average annual net migration loss of 7500 in the January years 2014 to 2019, Stats NZ said.
For migrant arrivals in the January 2025 year, citizens of India were the largest group, with 25,800 arrivals. The next largest groups were citizens of New Zealand, 25,000; China, 17,600; and the Philippines, 14,000.
For migrant departures in the January 2025 year, citizens of New Zealand were still the largest group, with 69,200 departures.
The next largest groups were citizens of China, 7900; India, 5800, and the United Kingdom, 4500.
Citizens of India, the Philippines, and China drove net migration gains in the January 2025 year, Stats NZ said.
Country of citizenship is the nationality of the passport used to arrive in or depart from New Zealand and is not necessarily the country of previous or next residence.
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