Louise Upston Defends Job Market Data Amid Rising Benefit Numbers

Minister of Social Development and Employment Louise Upston announced that 86,544 New Zealanders exited a main benefit into work during the year ending June 2026, marking an increase of 5,772 over the previous year. Upston attributed this growth to the Ministry of Social Development and Employment's Traffic Light System, Kōrero Mahi seminars, and the ChamberWorks partnership with the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce. She further noted that the June 2026 quarter saw 21,261 exits into work, up 1,665 from June 2025.

Despite these exits, new data revealed that 218,500 people were on the Jobseeker benefit in June 2026, an increase of nearly 2,500 from the previous year. Upston characterized this quarterly rise as a normal seasonal shift. However, Labour Party spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime criticized the coalition government, claiming it failed to meet a promise to reduce Jobseeker numbers by 50,000. Prime argued that welfare dependency has risen steadily since 2023, independent of global instability.

In response to the figures, the Labour Party proposed expanding the Apprenticeship Boost scheme to provide employers with $500 a month for two years to hire apprentices across more trades. Meanwhile, the government continues collaborations with private entities like Ventia and Skycity Entertainment Group to establish employment pathways.