The September quarter benefit fact sheets have just been released. All benefit categories show reduced numbers except for the sickness benefit.
The percentage of people who receive a sickness or invalid benefit because of a psychiatric or psychological condition has gradually increased over time.
There are now just under 2 percent of the working age population (18-64 years) on one of these benefits for psychiatric or psychological problems - 0.91 percent on SB and 0.92 percent on IB.
Around one in fifty. Or maybe someone in every 16th household.
That's very high.
The percentage relying on one of these benefits for any reason is over 5 percent or one in twenty of the working age population.
That's very high too.
The good news is the overall benefit dependency rate has fallen to just under 12 percent of the working age population. Around one in nine.
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There are now just under 2 percent of the working age population (18-64 years) on one of these benefits for psychiatric or psychological problems
That's really, really depressing.
The good news is the overall benefit dependency rate has fallen to just under 12 percent of the working age population. Around one in nine.
Bullshit Lindsay, utter bullshit. FIrst there are codgers on the codger-dole --- you're not counting them. Then there are student-bludgers, on the student bludge scheme - you're not counting them. A huge group is the WFFers - you'r not counting them either. Even bigger group are the parents who don't care enough about their kids to educate them, so send them to state-funded indoctrination centres instead of schools --- you're not counting them. And those who don't have private health insurance --- you're counting them too!
So really it's more like 90% are dependent - bludging off the backs of the less than 10% of independent Kiwis who actually work for a living.
NZ - land of bludgers.
I know from experience that doctors tend to be very lenient on people with mental health issues when issuing MSD certificates. It is exceedingly difficult to assess the proper level of incapacity for a mental health patient. There are no objective criteria that a patient cannot fake.
You will also find a preponderance of people with mechanical back pain above the age of around 60. They are usually folk from heavy labour jobs who can no longer cope. Frankly, they should transfer to a pension as it is usually very unlikely they will work again, even part time. One reason I quite liked the idea of a graduated pension (less if you retire at sixty gradually increasing to a maximum value for retirement at 70).
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