To return to previous themes on misunderstandings (a polite term for bigotry) about JobSeeker perhaps we should look at people on NewStart/JobSeeker who are actually earning an employment income:

This melds the previous quarterly data of total NewStart recipients with the subsequent monthly data for total JobSeekers. The black bar is March when DSS were unable to provide a breakdown with the switch from NewStart to JobSeeker. What does this look like in the proportion Of NewStart/JobSeekers claiming employment earnings?

This has returned in Australia to levels above the pre-covid era. It should also be noted that reported employment earnings are overwhelmingly (>85%) in the >$250 per fortnight category.

Next, we will look at how this national data may translate into the regions also adjusted for NewStart/JobSeeker recipients who were previously not classified as “job seekers” by DSS.

Note: Related to this was a recent report on stocks and flows for NewStart/JobSeeker: Our research shows more Australians receive unemployment payments than you think

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