Unemployed people WON’T have to apply for 20 jobs a month and will be allowed to hunt for work from home instead of going to job centres
- Sweeping changes to the unemployment benefits scheme to be announced
- Jobs Minister Kelly O’Dwyer is set to announce the new program on Wednesday
- Changes include a shift to online services and reducing red tape for employers
Job seekers will not have to apply for 20 jobs a month and will be allowed to look for work from home instead of going to job centres under sweeping reforms to unemployment benefits.
A massive overhaul of the $1.3 billion dollar a year Jobactive program is set to be announced on Wednesday by Jobs Minister Kelly O’Dwyer.
The new model is aimed at creating ‘self starter’ job hunters who are matched with potential jobs more quickly by using a primarily digital platform.
A massive overhaul of the $1.3 billion dollar a year Jobactive program is set to be announced on Wednesday by Jobs Minister Kelly O’Dwyer
The changes to the system, the first since the 1990s, follow a report finding that the current setup was wasting time for both job seekers and employers.
There are 41 private employment service providers contracted with the government at a cost of $6 billion over the next four years.
The report found there is an average of 148 job seekers for every job consultant and the staff turnover for these consultants is over 40 per cent.
The new scheme aims to streamline that system by focusing ‘in person’ services on those who need it and reducing the number of irrelevant applications that employers have to deal with.
‘The savings from digital servicing will be reinvested to provide a more intensive, targeted, and tailored face-to-face service for those who need extra help – recognising that long term unemployment has negative impacts on individuals, families, and communities,’ Ms O’Dwyer said.
The jobs minister also said that those who are using digital services could choose to access face-to-face services if required.
The economy and jobs will be a key focus of current Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s re-election pitch with the government aiming to create an extra 1.25 million jobs over the next five years.
The new scheme will be trialled in Adelaide’s southern suburbs and on the New South Wales Mid North Coast from July.
The federal election will be held sometime this year, most likely in May.
The new model is aimed at creating ‘self starter’ job hunters who are matched with potential jobs more quickly by using a primarily digital platform