New Zealanders Staying on Government Benefits for 13 Years on Average: Modelling
Young people who are unemployed today could spend their whole lives living on a government benefit, actuary predicts.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 07: In this photo illustration job vacancies are displayed in the newspaper on August 7, 2009 in Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand's unempoyment rate, which has increased in the past six consectutive quarters, has hit a nine-year high, rising to six percent in the three months to June. Photo Illustration by Sandra Mu/Getty Images
Unemployed people in New Zealand who are given a government benefit usually remain on it for an average of 13 years, startling new modelling has revealed.
It comes as the level of unemployment reaches four percent. The number (seasonally adjusted) of unemployed people rose to 122,000, up 3,000 from the previous quarter.
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.
