From DPB to sickness or invalid benefits - a record

Record numbers of DPB beneficiaries are transferring onto a sickness or invalid benefit.

Last year over two thousand people moved from the DPB and onto a sickness or invalid benefit. That is a 79 percent increase on the 1999 figure.

Also, indicating the length of time people are spending on this benefit, 500 people left the DPB to go onto New Zealand Superannuation.

DPB numbers may be dropping but it isn't all due to a strong labour market. A further 2,000 moved onto an unemployment benefit.

While thousands of people move off DPB each year, nearly as many return or come onto it for the first time. The nett difference in 2006 was a drop of 6,000. These new figures showing transfers to other benefits put that drop into perspective.