Another 6000 Kiwis are having their wallets propped up by the job seekers benefit this week. Photo: Getty ImagesMore than 6000 more people have ended up on the benefit in the past week, but the growth in numbers is beginning to slow. New figures from the Ministry of Social Development show almost 342,000 people are receiving a benefit - just over 11% of the working age population. Most of the increase was people going on to the jobseeker benefit, bringing the total number of people receiving the main unemployment benefit to just over 180,000. However, the government has previously said it expects unemployment to grow in the coming weeks and months.

Source: Otago Daily Times May 01, 2020 02:37 UTC