Unemployment

[Randy]

Is unemployment a great problem where you live now?

Do you know people who have lost their jobs recently?

What do you think the role of the government is in regulating the unemployment situation?

How should the government help people who have lost their jobs?

 

[passenger]

Not these specific questions, but: having drawn unemployment I saw that the amount drawn was so close to my earned wage while employed that it made it not worthwhile to seek other employment while 'laid off'.
So, I guess I came away from that experience with the opinion that there should be more scrutiny; too easy to be lazy, sit back & collect unemployment.

 

[Gizmo]

In New Zealand we have a very good welfare system. Very good to the point people just stay on it instead of looking for work

I myself don't work but that's because of some personal stuff in the past and mental health. But I am actively looking for part time work. It pisses me off that people like me look for work yet others just sit on their asses!

 

[PGen98]

As someone who is presently on medicaid and likely going to be added to SSI soon, I can't really say how the government should regulate benefits; however, in the case of unemployment I do feel it should be an incrementally removed sort of system. You get X amount for a certain period, and then as that period comes to a close you get Y% less per-payment until eventually you get nothing. This means you have to find a job to support yourself or you have nothing.

 

[Gizmo]

As someone who is presently on medicaid and likely going to be added to SSI soon, I can't really say how the government should regulate benefits; however, in the case of unemployment I do feel it should be an incrementally removed sort of system. You get X amount for a certain period, and then as that period comes to a close you get Y% less per-payment until eventually you get nothing. This means you have to find a job to support yourself or you have nothing.

How does SSI get paid? Our welfare system generally pays weekly unless you're over 65 and then you get paid fortnightly via Superannuation.

 

[PGen98]

How does SSI get paid? Our welfare system generally pays weekly unless you're over 65 and then you get paid fortnightly via Superannuation.

Unfortunately I'm not sure yet, I think it's a monthly stipend, but I don't have any sort of confirmation on that as it's still early days for that just now

 

[Gizmo]

Unfortunately I'm not sure yet, I think it's a monthly stipend, but I don't have any sort of confirmation on that as it's still early days for that just now

Good luck with the application.

 

[PGen98]

Good luck with the application.

 

[Scarlet Rose]

In New Zealand we have a very good welfare system. Very good to the point people just stay on it instead of looking for work

I myself don't work but that's because of some personal stuff in the past and mental health. But I am actively looking for part time work. It pisses me off that people like me look for work yet others just sit on their asses!

I am not sure if I would call our welfare system in New Zealand a very good one. I think that we have largely followed trends in other countries in scapegoating welfare recipients. All too often they are not treated as people but are rather demonized for cheap political points. Payments and support received by welfare recipients has also fallen well short of inflation and has never recovered from the brutal cuts put in place in the early 90s.

 

[Gizmo]

I am not sure if I would call our welfare system in New Zealand a very good one. I think that we have largely followed trends in other countries in scapegoating welfare recipients. All too often they are not treated as people but are rather demonized for cheap political points. Payments and support received by welfare recipients has also fallen well short of inflation and has never recovered from the brutal cuts put in place in the early 90s.

Part of the problem has been the idiot Ministers held responsible. Paula Bennett & Carmel Sepuloni are two examples of idiots put in charge of a system like this. I don't even know how Carmel became deputy Prime Minister but that's for a different debate. Labour funded a working group for MSD and only took on less than 10 of the 50+ (I think it was that many) recommendations.

While New Zealand welfare isn't too great it's better than the states. Especially when Trump was in charge.

 

[Scarlet Rose]

Part of the problem has been the idiot Ministers held responsible. Paula Bennett & Carmel Sepuloni are two examples of idiots put in charge of a system like this. I don't even know how Carmel became deputy Prime Minister but that's for a different debate. Labour funded a working group for MSD and only took on less than 10 of the 50+ (I think it was that many) recommendations.

While New Zealand welfare isn't too great it's better than the states. Especially when Trump was in charge.

Ministers in charge definitely play a role in it. They can go a long way towards framing political discourses. Although I would say that the two you mention are more guilty of continuing trends and political cultures that were already in place. The electorates are now in a situation where they are very much opposed to welfare recipients now too. I am not sure what would need to be done in order to change that aspect of our political culture.

I agree that it is better than it is in other countries. Which is both good and bad, as we tend to have an unfortunate habit of following trends of places like the US. Although as the zero contract situation demonstrated this isn't set in stone.

 

[Gizmo]

What kind of pisses me off is the MSD staff who discriminate people would have been on some form of welfare whether it be a benefit or even a student loan.

 

[Scarlet Rose]

I am not sure how bad it is now, since it has been so long since I have had to deal with either of them. But the absolute lack of communication between relevant areas of the MSD was atrocious. Although this can't be helped by the quotas that their staff are (were?) required to meet. That is really shocking though when the frontline staff demonstrate discrimination.

 

[Gizmo]

They have a new online system called MyMSD and you're expected to watch it like a hawk as you will not receive any communication if you get a new letter in that system. So if they want some information from a client and the client hasn't checked MyMSD because they haven't been told there's something in the system they can cut someone's payments... :/

 

[Scarlet Rose]

Oh! Yes, that does sound familiar! I have a friend who is studying and he missed out on a communication regarding his student loan. So had to restart his application from scratch. That is really shocking.

 

[Gizmo]

Oh! Yes, that does sound familiar! I have a friend who is studying and he missed out on a communication regarding his student loan. So had to restart his application from scratch. That is really shocking.

They need to have better online systems. They must still think we are in the dark ages. People can't do a lot on their online system anyway so they still need to call and wait five hours on the phone

 

[Scarlet Rose]

I definitely remember those call times! When I was working part time and still had to deal with them, I tried ringing once over an hour before I had to leave to work. I ended up having to hang up while still on hold. 😬

 

[Gizmo]

I definitely remember those call times! When I was working part time and still had to deal with them, I tried ringing once over an hour before I had to leave to work. I ended up having to hang up while still on hold. 😬

They also haven't changed their hold music for a number of years. I think they do it to psychologically irritate people in hopes they hang up.

 

[Nebulous]

Fortunately for job seekers right now, its incredibly easy to find a job. Most people wont even need to use their unemployment benefits unless they are actively choosing not to work (laziness).