Source: New Zealand Government
Minister for Social Development and Employment Louise Upston has welcomed significant progress in preparing Kiwi job seekers for work, with a big jump in targeted case management.
“The Ministry for Social Development is very firmly focused on putting job seekers first, and matching them with prospective employers,” Louise Upston says.
“This is important because increasing regular contact and training opportunities now will help people get ready for jobs and reinforces to employers that MSD is the right place to find trained, enthusiastic staff who’re ready to go to work.
“As a result, we are seeing:
- MSD case management places increasing from around 60,000 to 70,000 places, including phone-based case management for up to 10,000 clients.
- This is a one-to-one employment service dedicated to helping people get work-ready and find a job.
- MSD rolling out Individual Employment Plans for around 70,000 clients in 2025, developed by clients and their case managers together.
“The way a modern and fit for purpose MSD engages with its clients is ultimately geared to meeting the Government’s Jobseeker reduction target but equally, it’s about preparing people to support themselves and their families in being financially independent.
“We know economic times continue to be challenging, but the number of people receiving a benefit is forecast to peak from the end of the year. There are key Government projects coming onstream, and data from the Infrastructure Commission suggests each billion dollars of infrastructure investment per year equates to about 4,500 jobs.
“We want our people to be ready, so MSD is focused on preparing job seekers for positions available now as well as those expected as the economy continues to improve.”
