Hon Louise Upston
Minister for Social Development and Employment

Supporting more people into work so they can lead happier, healthier, and more productive lives is the vision at the heart of the Government’s new Employment Action Plan.

“Our economy is stronger when more people are in work and a well-performing labour market is critical for giving New Zealanders more opportunity to realise their potential,” Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says.

“The Government’s Employment Action Plan sets out how people facing different challenges will be supported to contribute to the economy and improve labour market outcomes.

“It will ensure our welfare, employment, education and immigration systems are all working together to give New Zealanders the skills they need to find jobs and respond to the workforce needs of our industries and communities.”

The Plan will:

• Help people get into work quickly and stay in work, reducing the negative impact of job loss and time on benefit for both individuals and the economy.
• Support people to have the skills they need to succeed in work, increasing their earning potential, reducing the number of people coming onto benefits and encouraging continued upskilling.
• Improve employers’ access to skills, employees’ access to jobs, and enable students and employees to make informed decisions about investing in their skills.

“The plan contains 12 actions across the Social Development and Employment, Immigration, Education, Tertiary Education and Skills, and Regional Development portfolios to achieve this,” Louise Upston says.

“We have already made good headway on some actions, such as focusing the welfare system on supporting people who can work into jobs, refreshing the education curriculum, and adjusting immigration settings to bring the right mix of skilled migrants into the country.”

The Employment Action Plan replaces the previous government’s overarching strategy and seven population-based employment plans, Louise Upston says.

“Having separate plans held by different agencies made working together difficult, and with more than 200 actions across them, there was not enough focus.

“Rebuilding the economy, delivering better public services and providing more opportunities in education and employment will create strong foundations for New Zealanders to succeed now and into the future.”

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