Support for Workers in the Covid-19 Emergency

what can we learn?

Authors

  • Bill Rosenberg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26686/pq.v16i3.6559

Keywords:

Covid-19, income support, welfare, unemployment, social insurance, social assistance, active labour market programmes, future of work, just transition, New Zealand

Abstract

This article first briefly describes pre-Covid-19 support for workers who lose their jobs in New Zealand, then outlines and evaluates the government response to potential and actual job loss in the Covid-19 emergency. The main response was a wage subsidy. Some aspects of it were highly effective; others were problematic and tolerable only because it was a crisis and temporary. It demonstrated the systemic weaknesses in New Zealand’s support for displaced workers. The article finally considers what is needed to prepare New Zealand better for times of job loss.

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Published

2020-08-10

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 3 (2020): Focus on Covid-19

Section

Articles

License

Permission: In the interest of promoting debate and wider dissemination, the IGPS encourages use of all or part of the articles appearing in PQ, where there is no element of commercial gain. Appropriate acknowledgement of both author and source should be made in all cases. The IGPS retains copyright. Please direct requests for permission to reprint articles from this publication to igps@vuw.ac.nz.