Benefit and jobseeker numbers released today show the Government’s plan to grow jobs and address the cost of living is failing miserably.

“The latest June quarter report shows that things are getting worse, not better,” Labour Social Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said.

“Jobseeker numbers are up. Homelessness is up and cost of living is skyrocketing. This is not a time for Louise Upston to celebrate.

“Yet, she pats herself on the back for moving people off the main benefit but completely ignores the fact that more and more people are receiving benefits and are out of work. By any measurement, this is a failure.

“For whānau in Tāmaki Makaurau it’s even worse. The latest report shows that there are 2,800 more Māori on Jobseeker since the end of 2023.

“The Government has cut Māori trades training, which helped our whānau into jobs and the economy to thrive. If anyone should be sanctioned, it should be this government,” Willie Jackson said.