National Party Leader Christopher Luxon has announced a new policy to reduce benefit dependency among young people.

It was made during the party’s conference in Christchurch.

Luxon said “it makes no sense that with businesses crying out for workers, there are 34,000 under 25-year-olds receiving the Jobseeker benefit, an increase of 49 percent from five years ago.”

The policy includes contracting community providers to provide 18–24-year-old Jobseekers with a “dedicated job coach” to help get them into work, with funding linked to keeping young people off welfare.

“Jobseekers would receive more support, with a proper assessment of their barriers to finding work, and an individual job plan to address them.”

These might include speech and language issues, learning disabilities, drug and alcohol addiction or key work skills gaps.

Each young Jobseeker will also receive an “individualised plan” with agreed actions they will need to take to obtain employment and address challenges preventing them from finding a job.

The plan could range from simple steps like getting a driver’s licence to more comprehensive actions like literacy educations, trainingr completing treatment for drug or alcohol addiction.

Luxon said those who fail to follow their plan will face sanctions, such as money management or benefit reductions, but long-term under 25 Jobseekers who get into work and stay off benefit for 12 months will receive a $1000 bonus.

“National will scale up the Welfare that Works programme over time, with a goal of at least 8,000 Jobseekers working with not-for-profit community providers instead of MSD within four years.”