Early Response Redeployment Support/Rapid Return to Work - Budget 2023

Continuing employment services for people facing redundancy or who have recently lost their jobs - Wellbeing Budget 2023. 

This initiative ensures people who face losing their jobs continue to benefit from early engagement that supports their swift return to work, preventing wage scarring and negative economic, social and health impacts.

The Government is investing $7.6 million over two years (2023/24 to 2024/25) to ensure people who experience or are at risk of economic displacement can continue to access the Early Response Redeployment Support (ERRS) and Rapid Return to Work (RRTW) programmes.

• ERRS works closely with employers and people facing redundancy to enable the employer to redeploy and/or retrain their employees, or to support workers to transition to a new job or training opportunities. ERRS makes use of local knowledge about the jobs available and services in the community that can help people get through changes in their work situation and get a new job.
• RRTW provides recently displaced workers with a phone and email-based employment service for up to six weeks after losing a job. RRTW staff phone their clients each week for up to 6 weeks offering information and advice tailored to the person’s needs, backed up by email resources, including pointing them to other services that may help and to vacancies in the labour market.
• While many people who lose their jobs can get a new job using their own networks or resources, some people need more help.
• Continuing to fund these two services will help to limit the poor skills matching, lost productivity, lost income, and the social and health costs that can result from job loss.
• We know that the sooner we help people find a new job or start retraining, the more effective that help can be. Providing help early may help reduce the negative mental health impacts from job-loss and minimise financial pressures.
• People most likely to experience job loss as result of a redundancy are young people (aged 15-24), Māori, Pacific people, women, older workers, and people in lower paid and lower skilled roles.
• ERRS and RRTW have developed from services established as part of the response to COVID-19, but the original funding is coming to an end.