Max Whitehead: Employment Relations Expert on the new phone case management service for those on the Jobseeker benefit

There's a belief the Government's new service for young job seekers is a nudge in the right direction. 

Social Development Minister Louise Upston's announced a new phone case management service for people on the Jobseeker Benefit, due to expand to 4000 people.  

18-24-year-olds will receive monthly calls, with benefit sanctions if the person misses the call without good reason. 

Employment Relations expert Max Whitehead told Ryan Bridge it's important job seekers are held to account. 

He says it's good having someone there to encourage you not to waste potential job opportunities. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Mandatory monthly phone calls have been introduced by the Ministry
of Social Development between those on a job seeker support
benefit and case managers. The service is aimed at eighteen
to twenty four year olds, with case managers getting in
touch with their clients. Do we call them clients at
least once every twenty eight days. Any job seeker that
misses their call without a good reason could face sanctions.

(00:23):
Joining me now as employment relations expert Max Whitehead, Max,
Good morning. What do these case managers actually make a difference?
Do you think?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Oh? Right, I think most certainly. There's nothing like getting
a bit of a nudge every now and again. Hey, hey,
wake up, you've got a potential job here. Why don't
you give it a call. I think it's a brilliant idea,
and I think that something that I think as taxpayers,
should have expected to happen a long time ago. Yeah,
keep on the ball of those people that we're paying

(00:53):
to sit at home.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
Yeah. I was quite surprised to hear that less than
a third of those that are getting that job seeker
support benefit actually receive the case manager service at this point.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Well, they meet and I would hope that our you know,
the public servants who we pay to look after these
people will respond to this even more. But I believe
we're going to put on a lot more staff to
enable this to happen. And look, Ryan, it's only fair,
you know, the taxpayers. These are people that go to
work every day. These are the people that are subject

(01:26):
to employment law. Do you know what the employment law requires?
That they are communicative and responsive. Now, surely somebody is
sitting at home, not even to go to work every
day should be subjected to the same rules, and that
is to be responsive to a phone call. And I'm
certainly very much in favor of it. And a phone
call is exactly what they needed, just to give them

(01:48):
a little wake up because some of these young people
are not too disciplined when they come out of school
and getting them ready for work a disciplinary Hey, you
need to come and do so and so otherwise you
in up to go and get cut I think is
the right way to go.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Max White here the employment law specialist with us this morning. Max,
thanks very much for your time.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
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