New Zealanders participate positively in society and reach their potential

Employment

Measuring our performance

On page 17, we describe our outcomes framework and impact statements.

The following impact statements describe the outcomes we are aiming to achieve in employment:

Improve sustainable employment outcomes
Improve people’s readiness for work, including through training and education
Improve our contribution to business and regional development.

The following KPIs measure progress towards those impact statements:

Sustainable exits into employment
Average future years on a main benefit
Effective employment programmes
Benefit exits following work-readiness intervention.

We also have two overarching impact statements, which we deliver to across all our work. These are:

Improve equity of outcomes, particularly for Māori
Improve people’s trust and confidence in the welfare system.

The following KPIs measure progress towards those impact statements:

Ethnicity cohort data across our KPIs (Māori and Pacific peoples initially)
Client trust: Net trust score
Client experience: Overall service score.

See pages 72 to 79 for more information on how we are performing against our KPIs.

Government Target: Fewer people on the Jobseeker Support benefit

In April 2024, the Government announced nine targets for agencies across the public service to achieve. MSD is the lead agency for Target 5: ‘Fewer people on the Jobseeker Support benefit’. This section outlines our work towards achieving this target.

Target (by 2030): 140,000 people on the Jobseeker Support benefit
Baseline (December 2023): 190,000
As at 30 June 2024: 196,400 (Forecast for June 2024: 190,300)
Progress from baseline: +6,400 (currently moving in the opposite direction of the target)

Our focus continues to be on getting and keeping New Zealanders working

MSD supports people into jobs and to stay in work. Throughout the year, employment has remained our key focus.

We have changed how we work to reflect the new Government’s priorities. To support the Government’s Jobseeker Support target, we have created more regular contact points with clients to promote the support we offer and help them understand their obligations to find or prepare for work.

At our Kōrero Mahi – Let's Talk Work seminars, we engage with clients during their first few weeks of receiving Jobseeker Support. At Kōrero Mahi – Work Check-In seminars, we check in with clients who have been receiving Jobseeker Support for six months.

Case management is one of our most effective interventions to help people into employment. We have refreshed our approach to focus on the Minister's priority cohorts, including job seekers, young people, people with children and people who have been receiving a benefit for more than a year.

Our case management work is supported by MSD’s Employment Service, which includes services such as Work Brokerage, Employment Coordination, Job Connect, Seminars and Employment Expos.

We are successfully using our employment tools and services to support people, even in the current weaker labour market. Our ability to keep people in work remained steady, even as the number of people receiving Jobseeker Support increased. We measure this by the number of people who do not access a main benefit in the six months after exiting a benefit, after we provide them with a specific type of employment support such as Mana in Mahi or Flexi-wage.

We have improved our information for clients on what their obligations are and how to meet them. We have started design work for the new traffic light system to make it clearer for clients when they are meeting their obligations and when they are not.

As part of the first stage of MSD’s Te Pae Tawhiti Transformation Programme, we have begun work to establish a new Digital Employment Service, which will provide improved tools and choices for how people access our employment, training and educational services. This will make it easier for employers to do business with us, improve employers’ and jobseekers’ ability to connect with each other, while also improving MSD’s ability to ensure people meet their obligations.

Other highlights from this year:

Flexi-wage has helped 7,035 people into jobs by supporting employers to hire people who are at risk of long-term unemployment and need training to meet the entry-level requirements for the job.
The Early Response – Redeployment Support initiative redeployed 2,010 people and assisted 1,308 businesses that were impacted by significant business closures, helping displaced workers to secure employment without needing to come onto a benefit.
The Driver Licence Support programme supported 17,748 people, and 85 percent of participants who completed the programme gained their licence – gaining a driver licence can significantly reduce barriers to employment.
The Māori Trades and Training Fund enrolled 1,832 participants into community-led employment and training programmes and placed 1,185 into employment.
He Poutama Rangatahi enrolled 3,166 young people and placed 1,146 people into employment, and a further 1,133 into training or education.

Case study – Employment

When Laura walked into MSD, she had a dream job in mind – working in the oral health industry.

Her case manager was able to help make that happen.

Now a Community Dental Assistant, Laura has completed a health cadetship at Hawke’s Bay Hospital through Health New Zealand – Hawke’s Bay. She shares her story, including future aspirations and what inspires her to succeed.

The eight-week cadetships give job seekers on-the-job training and mentoring toward securing careers in the health sector. The programme is run jointly by Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora and MSD.

“I gained the experience that I wanted: I wanted to have a feel of what we do in a dental setup. I've never seen a Māori work within the oral health service as I grew up – never.

“And when I go into a clinic and I'm a dental assistant, I see a lot of whānau looking at me. They're looking at me for safety, for reassurance... It's lovely – I love it.”

The next items on her checklist are to attend university, build up her relationship with the community and become a dental therapist.

Picture above shows Community Dental Assistant, Laura, looking happy after completing a health cadetship run by Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora and MSD.