Latest September figures show a rise in working age beneficiaries when compared to June but a drop when compared to 1 year ago.
Sept 2006 282,147
June 2007 261,009
Sept 2007 263 234
These figures exclude those on benefits aged under 18.
The In Work tax credits and strong labour market continue to have a positive effect but the problem areas remain with the seemingly unstoppable growth of sickness and invalid benefit numbers and young people going on the DPB. There are still many regions and service centres seeing DPB growth reflecting the rise in young Maori uptake. Against the national trend over 5 years these are some Auckland centres which have seen increases;
Clendon
Glen Mall and Kelston
Mangere
Manurewa
Otara
Papakura
Manakau District
There are a few other predictable pockets in the Waikato and Northland.
So, yes, overall numbers are going down but the drop tends to mask the deeper problem of welfare dependency among the uneducated and unskilled, and disproportionately, female and Maori. There should be no expectation that the social problems associated with non-working lifestyles - drug and alcohol abuse, crime, mental unwellness, child neglect and abuse, (and growth in govt services) - will abate.
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6 comments:
I’m not sure you’re right about their being increasingly female or young. Looking at the DPB factsheet at the link above shows that males have increased as a proportion of DPB recipients (from 9% five years ago to 11% last month). And the proportion of DPB sole parents caring for a child under 6 (which presumably includes the youngest sole mothers you say are increasing) has gone down from 62% to 60%, while the proportion caring for a child aged 14 or more has increased, from 7 to 10%. Are we looking at different tables?
The share of DPB that is aged 18-19 (and 16-17 year-olds on the EMA) has increased. Although the percentage is low is it very important as this is the feeder group to long-term dependence. You are correct in identifying an ageing effect with long-term dependency also showing up.
The increase in male DPB is largely Maori. The 'feminisation' I referred to was across all benefits - not DPB. I think this is partly due to single parents being on other benefits. Sorry I wasn't clear enough.
For the 263,000 beneficaries, how many working age people are there?
In relation to the DPB figures, are beneficaries who work part-time included in total number of DPB recipients?
You have to ask yourself what is wrong with some of these people when there are so many social services in place to help them into work.
Gloria
Gloria, there are around 2.5 million working age people. Yes people who work part-time are included in DPB figures. Around 1 in 5 have a declared earnings certificate for the current year. That doesn't tell us how many are working part-time at any given point in the year unfortunately.
What is wrong with people? Some simply do not want to work. Others experience 'barriers' to work which could be physical or psychological. What I am convinced of is many would be quite capable of fending for themselves if left to do just that.
Just to be precise the 'work force' is 15-64 years old. I have given you working-age definition used in the fact sheets which is 18-64 and produces the 263,000 statistic.
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