Louise Upston says people coming on to Jobseeker Support will now be required to meet with the Social Development Ministry within a fortnight to decide the next steps. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
New jobseeker beneficiaries will now have to attend a work seminar within two weeks of starting on welfare under new requirements unveiled by the coalition.
Those who failed to attend without a "good and sufficient reason" could have face sanctions such as having their benefit cut.
Social Development Minister Louise Upston announced the compulsory Kōrero Mahi - Let's Talk Work sessions at a Porirua jobs expo on Thursday morning.
It comes on top of a promised increase in benefit sanctions - due to begin in June - as part of a wider "reset" of the welfare system.
Upston said the Ministry for Social Development had been trialling the seminars since February, providing clear direction to beneficiaries on their obligations and the support available to meet them.
"What that seminar does is really clearly lay out for people what it is that MSD will provide and what the obligations are," she said.
"It's practical, it's sensible, and it's helping people with what they need to get into employment."
That could involve linking people up with potential employers or helping them update their CV or get a driver licence.
'There are no sanctions if you cannot find a job'
Upston said previously new Jobseekers might not have had a face-to-face meeting with MSD for "months and months and months".
"Some might never have had that face-to-face [meeting]. We need to have a welfare system that's more active."
She said that "hands-off" approach had led to an explosion in people on Jobseeker Support, with the number of people who have been on it for more than year growing by about 40,000 under the previous government.
Asked whether the sanctions regime was unfair given the tough job market, Upston acknowledged it was "more challenging" to find work now, but there were still plenty of jobs available.
The initiative was designed to help beneficiaries, not punish them, Upston said.
"There are no sanctions if you cannot find a job. It is about: are you taking the steps to improve your chances of getting a job?
"And, look, if someone doesn't know what those steps are, we want to make sure, as part of Kōrero Mahi, they know."
Upston was confident MSD had the resources to carry out the seminars multiple times throughout the week across the whole country.
She said early intervention was necessary as although almost 190,000 people received Jobseeker Support, just 53,000 of them had case managers at any given time.
The coalition government has set a target of 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support by 2030.
'Poverty is a political choice'
Ricardo Menéndez March Photo: Tom Taylor / RNZ
In a statement, the Green Party said the coalition was doubling down on "cruelty" by punishing people in poverty.
Green spokesperson for Social Development Ricardo Menéndez March said MSD had confirmed there was no evidence work seminars helped people into employment.
"Poverty is a political choice and this government is not only choosing to maintain it but also make life even harder for those doing it tough.
"Instead of punishing people, the Greens are calling for an end to benefit sanctions and an overhaul of employment support so that people who lose their jobs are meaningfully supported into work that matches their skills and aspirations," Menéndez March said.
Labour finance spokesperson and Mana MP Barbara Edmonds told reporters the government's approach was contradictory given the number of jobs being axed across the public service.
"They're trying to bring down jobs - but at the same time telling people to go find a job in a really tight labour market."
Edmonds said the government was making the job market tougher.
"The number one employer in this area is the government - and then followed by the construction sector. They are both two sectors that are being terribly affected by this government."