Hon Louise Upston
Minister for Social Development and Employment

More than 80,700 people moved off a main benefit and into work in the last financial year, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says.

“Despite challenging economic conditions, the Government has been relentlessly focused on getting New Zealanders into work. It’s encouraging that 80,000 Kiwis were able to kick start new roles over the past 12 months and there will be more to come.”

Overall, MSD stats released today show that as expected in the current economic climate, the overall number of people receiving a benefit has increased, ahead of a forecast decrease from December.

The number of people receiving a main benefit in June 2025 (406,128) increased by 7,965 (2.0 percent) compared to March 2025 (398,163).

The number of people receiving Jobseeker Support in June 2025 (216,009) increased by 6,171 (2.9 percent) compared to March 2025 (209,838).

“Over the last three years, MSD have traditionally seen a trend of more people coming onto benefit in the March to June period,” Louise Upston says. “It’s likely this is partially because there’s less seasonal work around during the winter months.”

“MSD is continuing to provide great support to job seekers on the frontline. Our Government has increased the number of people in case management at any one time from 60,000 to 70,000 people. 10,000 of those are getting help through a new phone-based case management service. That’s more people getting more support.

“We’ve got 2,100 more places for young people to get community job coaching, more regular work seminars, employment plans to help people get ready for work, and a traffic light system to help them stay on track with their obligations.

“People now also have to reapply for their benefit every six months, instead of just once a year. This gives MSD an extra opportunity to support them into a job.

“We know some Kiwis are still doing it tough while the economy recovers, but we’re working as hard as possible to get New Zealanders off welfare and into work,” Louise Upston says.

Notes:

The MSD stats are available here: https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/statistics/benefit/index.html

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