Cabinet has also agreed to progress a suite of new initiatives that will increase obligations and consequences for job seekers from early next year, including:
- Extending the period over which an obligation failure counts against a beneficiary from 12 months to two years
- Requiring Jobseeker Support recipients to reapply every six months
- Making it mandatory for all beneficiaries with work obligations to have a jobseeker profile before their benefit is granted
- A new money management sanction that will see half a person’s benefit go onto a payment card that can only be used for a limited range of essential products and services (fulfilling a National-ACT coalition commitment)
- A new community work experience sanction that will require beneficiaries to build their skills and confidence to help them get a job
“These changes come with increased support in the form of a new phone-based case management service for 4000 job seekers aged 18 to 24, and 2100 extra places for young people to get community job coaching,” Louise Upston says.
The vast majority of NZers would see these minimal responsibilities as quite reasonable.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.
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