More than 8000 people stopped their unemployment benefits last month after getting jobs.Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said while people were still signing up for the unemployment benefit, the number getting it dropped by almost 4000 in March,
More than 8000 people stopped their unemployment benefits last month after getting jobs.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said while people were still signing up for the unemployment benefit, the number getting it dropped by almost 4000 in March, with 8316 stopping their benefits because they found work. Overall benefit figures fell by 11,477.
"Part of the decrease is expected due to seasonal work and students returning to study, but there's also been an increase in available jobs," Ms Bennett said.
"Work and Income have over 6000 jobs listed and even in January when unemployment benefit figures were at their highest, we had over 4000 jobs listed, so work is out there."
The 3934 drop in unemployment benefit figures over March was a 6 percent reduction compared with a 7 percent increase over the same period last year.
The number of young people on the unemployment benefit has dropped for ten consecutive weeks, at an average of 439 a week.
Of those who cancelled, 2500 were Maori and 546 were Pacific Islanders. Also 1110 sole parents cancelled their DPB and went into paid work.
"These figures illustrate a very slowly emerging, positive trend of people going off benefits and into work or training," Ms Bennett said. "Though it's a long road back to where we were before the recession and benefit numbers may still rise again when seasonal work drops off."
At the end of March there were 324,814 people on a benefit, with 60,211 of them on the unemployment benefit.
