7. Hon TAU HENARE (National) Link to this
to the Minister for Social Development and Employment
What reports has she received on the latest benefit figures?
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) Link to this
Numbers put out today say that last month the number of people receiving the unemployment benefit was 55,974. That is the lowest it has been since July 2009, a drop of 18 percent since its peak in January last year when 68,369 people were on the unemployment benefit. In August the number of people on the unemployment benefit dropped by 1,145, with half of the decrease due to more young people going into work. The overall number of New Zealanders on benefits is 328,355.
Hon PAULA BENNETT Link to this
In August 2,471 18 to 24-year-olds cancelled their main benefit to move into work. We have seen the number of young people on the unemployment benefit drop by 32 percent, from 23,545 in January 2010 to 15,980—the highest we saw the numbers go down during the economic downturn.