Overall trends in use of financial assistance and employment services

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Overview
Trends in the proportions of the New Zealand population receiving financial assistance or employment services from Work and Income

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Overview

There have been decreases since 2004 in the total numbers of (see table 2.4):

  • clients receiving a main benefit
  • registered job seekers.

These decreases were apparent among clients of all ages (see table 2.4), and reflect a number of factors, including:

  • improved economic conditions (reflected in falling official unemployment levels)
  • demographic changes, including an ageing population, people having children later in life, and increased immigration
  • changes in policies and in Work and Income operational processes, including Work and Income placing an increased emphasis on supporting clients to obtain and retain paid work, and on ensuring carers are receiving the assistance they are entitled to.

Increases since 2004 in the number of people receiving a pension or New Zealand Superannuation (see table 2.4) reflect the impact of ageing of the New Zealand population. This growth in the number of people aged 65 years or over resulted in New Zealand Superannuation grants each year exceeding cessations of New Zealand Superannuation over the same period.

A slight increase over the last year in the number of people receiving one or more supplementary benefits, a Special Benefit, or Temporary Additional Support (see table 2.4) reflects both the replacement of Special Benefits by Temporary Additional Support from April 2006 and increased use of supplementary benefits by clients receiving Invalid's Benefits.

Table 2.4 Trends in the number of people receiving financial assistance from Work and Income, and in the number of registered job seekers

Client group and assistance received at the end of June Clients receiving financial assistance from Work and Income or registered as job seekers1
2004 Number 2005 Number 2006 Number 2007 Number 2008 Number
All recipients of a main benefit2 320,121 301,389 291,241 271,569 268,972
Working age recipients of a main benefit2 309,360 290,466 280,299 261,009 258,317
All registered job seekers 107,590 83,633 77,470 60,182 47,435
Working age registered job seekers 104,360 80,869 75,020 58,090 45,643
Pension recipients3,4 473,089 484,086 498,297 512,782 525,012
Recipients of one or more supplementary benefits, a Special Benefit or Temporary Additional Support5,6 437,473 450,002 464,017 462,795 466,402

Notes

  1. Numbers of clients recorded in SWIFTT or SOLO as receiving assistance from Work and Income at the end of June.
  2. All counts of recipients of main benefits in this report exclude partners, spouses and children of people receiving main benefits.
  3. Includes recipients of New Zealand Superannuation. All counts of pension recipients in this report include qualified recipients and non-qualified spouses receiving pensions, but exclude other dependents .
  4. All counts of pension recipients in this report exclude recipients of War Disablement Pensions. This is to avoid double counting of people receiving both a War Disablement Pension and another benefit or pension.
  5. Includes some clients receiving one or more supplementary benefits as well as Temporary Additional Support or a Special Benefit. Also includes some clients receiving only an Unsupported Child’s Benefit or an Orphan’s Benefit.
  6. These clients may be receiving a pension or a main benefit, or may have a low income from paid employment or from some other source.
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Trends in the proportions of the New Zealand population receiving financial assistance or employment services from Work and Income

Decreases since 2004 in the proportions of working age people in the New Zealand population who were receiving a main benefit at the end of June each year, and who are registered as job seekers at the same date (see figure 2.1) reflect the economic, policy, operational and demographic factors outlined above.

Over the same period, around 15% of people aged 18 years or over have been receiving one or more supplementary benefits, a Special Benefit, or Temporary Additional Support (see figure 2.1).

figure 2.1 Trends in the proportions of working age people receiving a main benefit, of working age people registered as job seekers, and of people aged 18 years or over receiving one or more supplementary benefits, a Special Benefit or Temporary Additional Support

Trends in the proportions of working aged people receiving a main benefit.

Notes

  1. Proportion shows:
    1. numbers of 18-64 year olds recorded in SWIFTT as receiving a main benefit at the end of June, divided by
    2. Statistics New Zealand final estimate of the resident population aged 18-64 years at the end of June.
  2. Proportion shows:
    1. numbers of 18-64 year olds registered in SOLO as job seekers at the end of June, divided by
    2. Statistics New Zealand final estimate of the resident population aged 18-64 years at the end of June.
  3. Proportion shows:
    1. numbers of people aged 18 years or over recorded in SWIFTT as receiving one or more supplementary benefits (including an Unsupported Child's Benefit or an Orphan's Benefit), a Special Benefit or Temporary Additional Support at the end of June, divided by
    2. Statistics New Zealand final estimate of the resident population aged 18 years or over at the end of June.

See table A3.1 for a summary of the SWIFTT data underlying figure 2.1.

Since 2004, around 94% of people aged 65 years or over have been receiving New Zealand Superannuation or a Veteran's Pension.

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