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Speaker 1: So we've got more sanctions coming for the unemployed. As

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Speaker 1: part of this traffic light scheme, we've got a job

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Speaker 1: search report that's been added. This is a minimum of

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Speaker 1: three search activities a week in reporting back to WEMSD.

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Speaker 1: They've also added an upskilling course for a mandatory five

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Speaker 1: hours per week. Louis Upston is of course the Minister

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Speaker 1: for Social Development and is with us. Very good morning

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Speaker 1: to you, Good morning Mike. What's a search activity?

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Speaker 2: So basically what we're wanting to improve people's chances of

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Speaker 2: getting a job. So basically what the search activity is

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Speaker 2: is being more proactive in terms of spending time either

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Speaker 2: registering with the recruitment agency, going to interviews, actually proving

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Speaker 2: to MSD that they have been seriously engaging in job

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Speaker 2: seeking activities. So it's also about accountability.

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Speaker 1: Right, So it's more than just clicking on an ad

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Speaker 1: on trade me.

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Speaker 2: No, definitely not no. And again the end of the day,

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Speaker 2: we want more people off welfare into work, So instead

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Speaker 2: of a financial sanction, we are going to provide more

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Speaker 2: of an accountability mechanism, more support, more eyes on to

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Speaker 2: make sure that people are doing the things they need

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Speaker 2: to do to improve their chances of finding a job.

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Speaker 1: The upskilling course upskilling to what do you get choice

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Speaker 1: in that or no, So.

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Speaker 2: It'll be deliberately focused on what is appropriate for that

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Speaker 2: job seeker. So it might be that they need to

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Speaker 2: do a digital Passport, which is a course that MSDS

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Speaker 2: developed online that really just provides better opportunities for people

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Speaker 2: to be able to demonstrate they can work in a

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Speaker 2: digital environment. It might be something else that MSD has

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Speaker 2: on its box in terms of interview skills. There's a

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Speaker 2: suite of options. But again this is because we want

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Speaker 2: to see fewer people on the job seeker benefit more

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Speaker 2: people in work. But it's also holding people accountable. If

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Speaker 2: I look at the sanctions for the December quarter, three thousand,

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Speaker 2: three hundred were failing to prepare for work, so we

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Speaker 2: know that's a problem. These additional non financial sanctions mechanisms

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Speaker 2: to say actually, you can't sit there and do nothing.

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Speaker 2: You have to prepare for work, and we're going to

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Speaker 2: make it easier for you to do that. Rather than

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Speaker 2: just financially penalize you, we're going to give you options

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Speaker 2: to upscale or demonstrate what you are doing around your

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Speaker 2: job searching.

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Speaker 1: Just quickly from your time in this job. What's your

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Speaker 1: assessment of the slackness? How many people who just can't

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Speaker 1: be bothered are you dealing with as a percentage of

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Speaker 1: all of those who are unemployed.

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Speaker 2: Well, if I look at the traffic light system, we've

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Speaker 2: only got one percent in orange and one percent in red.

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Speaker 2: So actually I think the numbers are low, but look

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Speaker 2: at the end of the day. MSD is there to

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Speaker 2: support people get to get into work, but job seekers

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Speaker 2: have to do their bit. And what's been really positive

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Speaker 2: is frontline staff are saying they're doing less chasing good

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Speaker 2: and people are actually ringing up to say what do

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Speaker 2: I have to do. I don't want to fail an obligation.

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Speaker 2: What do I need to do next? So that's a

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Speaker 2: really positive step and I think that's why it has

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Speaker 2: contributed to much higher numbers of people leaving the job.

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Speaker 2: Seecret benefit into jobs. Our work exits are much higher

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Speaker 2: than they were a year ago, so it tells me

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Speaker 2: it's working, but we've still got more work today.

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Speaker 1: Good to help Louis Upston, Employment Minister, among other things.

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Speaker 1: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to

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Speaker 1: news talks that'd be from six am weekdays, or follow

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