Louise Upston. File picture. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The government has launched a new phone-based case management system, which is designed to provide 4000 more job seekers with support.
The service would target job seekers ready for work, aged between 18 to 24 years old, providing them with a case manager to assist them in finding employment.
Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston said the service was expected to increase the number of engagements the ministry had with job seekers by about 50,000 annually.
Phone-based case management began at the start of July with 1500 job seekers, and would expand to 4000 within roughly two months.
The new service would increase the number of job seekers receiving case management at any one time from about 53,000 to 57,000.
Upston said under 25s on jobseeker support were forecast to spend nearly 20 years of their working lives on welfare, something she said the government would not accept.
"We are targeting young job seekers because helping them back into work is critical for their long-term prospects," she said.
"MSD (Ministry of Social Development) case managers provide valuable support to help people into work, but less than a third of those receiving the jobseeker support benefit currently receive this service."
Upston said it was important the welfare system responded to the current economic climate by directly engaging with as many job seekers as it could.
The minister said the government had a target of reducing the number of people on jobseeker support by 50,000 over the next six years.
She said this would be done by several measures including: Making it clear that benefit sanctions should be fully applied, introducing work seminars that job seekers must attend within two weeks of receiving support, introducing work check-ins on job seekers after attending six months on a job, and a continued investment of $1.1 billion into the MSD's frontline employment programmes and financial supports.
Upston said the obligations for those taking part in phone-based case management would be the same as any others, and that those who missed appointments without a good reason may face sanctions.
