The Government has announced new targets that will see beneficiaries prioritised for financial support through employment schemes.
Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says “significant numbers” of people who were not receiving a benefit had accessed the employment schemes in recent years.
Non-beneficiaries are eligible for the employment schemes, but the Government believes much of the funding for these schemes should be reserved for beneficiaries before non-beneficiaries.
These schemes include Mana in Mahi, where employers get a wage subsidy and funding for training, and Flexi-wage, where employers get a government-contribution towards the employee’s wage.
“Each participant in Mana in Mahi costs $17,000 and each Flexi-Wage participant costs $8000, so we need to make sure these resources are being spent on those with the greatest need over those capable of obtaining work without it,” Upston said.