Jobseeker Target Reclassified 'At Risk' After Missing Itself by 78,500 People

The Government set itself a target of 140,000 people or fewer on Jobseeker Support by 2030. The latest figure is 218,500, up 3,300 since the last report, which puts the target roughly 78,500 people away from where it is supposed to be. Officials have classified this as “at risk,” a phrase that undersells a target currently missing itself by more than half.

The response includes a traffic light system, more case management, and a new eligibility test arriving in November for 18 and 19 year olds whose parents jointly earn more than $65,529, expected to affect around 4,300 young people. None of this changes the number today. It changes who is counted, and when, which is a different kind of progress to the one advertised when the target was set.

Targets are supposed to measure whether a policy is working. This one is now measuring the distance between the policy and itself, and reporting the gap as a status update.