Thursday, August 09, 2007

Job growth - WFF

2006 June 1,668,000 457,000

2007 June 1,672,000 486,000

These figures are the number of full-time and part-time jobs in June 2006 and June 2007. Only 4,000 more full-time jobs compared to 29,000 more part-time jobs.

This is bound to have something to do with WFF and the In Work Payment. In March this year 118,000 people were receiving an In Work Payment. Many of these people would have previously been on some sort of partial-benefit (dole, DPB) so still counted as beneficiaries. Now they don't. This has got a lot to do with dropping beneficiary numbers. How much I don't know as IRD won't tell me (they don't record the info apparently) how many were previously on a benefit.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lindsay, Work and Income should be able to tell you how many people have gone from the DPB in to fulltime work - they just have to access code 38. Code 38 is the SWIFTT code given to a benefit when it is cancelled and a person is in full time work - ie getting the in work payment.

Lindsay Mitchell said...

But a person can get the In Work payment without moving into full-time work. A sole parent can get it working a minimum of 20 hours - part-time. Would code 38 still apply?

Anonymous said...

You can't get the in-work payment if you're still receiving a benefit. I just looked it up, here:

http://www.ird.govt.nz/wff-tax-credits/entitlement/what-is-wfftc/iwtc/

Lindsay Mitchell said...

I know that.

But it was possible to move from benefit to the In Work payment without increasing the hours already worked. Or without moving into full-time employment.

Some people were on the DPB (or other benefits) but working part-time. That's legitimate. But it was financially advantageous to move to the In Work payment and in the process they ceased being counted as beneficiaries.

Anonymous said...

A person can get the IWP without moving into full time work - but they cant get a benefit as well. what this means is that if a person is to get the IWP for 20 hours a week, their wages have to be pretty high or else they would be better off on a benefit with subsidised income like many others on the dpb

Your question related to those who were off benefits. Not many 20 hour workers off the dpb would be getting the IWP - but if they were it would be code 38. Its just that this code doesnt advise the number of hours worked, but it is assumed to be 30. I`d so an oia to MSD if I were you - or get Judith Collins to ask..
hope that helps