Waikato benefit numbers drop

More than 6450 people went off welfare into work in Waikato last year.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says the number of people on Unemployment Benefits in the region dropped 3.5 percent to 3699 in 2012.

“The job market has been patchy since the global recession, but Work and Income staff have worked hard to get people into jobs.”

The Future Build Programme run in partnership with Wintec, the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation and local employers, helped 19 Waikato beneficiaries into jobs.

A welding and fabrication work experience-based training programme saw another 27 people employed in the industry.

“The number of sole parents on the DPB in Waikato dropped by nearly 400 in 2012, a shift we’re seeing reflected around the country,” says Mrs Bennett.

“The number of young people on the Unemployment Benefit also dropped by more than five percent which is heartening.”

In the last year 82,000 New Zealanders went off benefit into work.