Photo: RNZ
A young neurodivergent man who was on the Jobseeker benefit says the sheer number of forms to fill, job websites to join and roles to apply for each week was so overwhelming he decided to come off the weekly support.
Autism NZ warns that is extremely concerning and common but the Ministry of Social Development said its staff are there to help and support is on offer.
The man - who wishes to remain anonymous - has dyslexia and dyspraxia, making administrative tasks taxing and sometimes overwhelming.
To show how much paperwork he was required to do, he measured the file holding documents related to being on the Jobseeker benefit.
"It is a full centimetre thick, the file that I have. Most of it is from when I was applying, there's a few brochures, my last payslip, a bunch of stuff from Inland Revenue, the MSD job hunter booklet, multiple bank statements, my dad's death certificate."
He is in his 20s and was working for his dad, a plasterer, who sadly passed away in March.
A few months later, he applied for the Jobseeker benefit but within weeks started to find the admin overwhelming.
He needed to update his CV and provide his case manager with regular updates of his job searches, which included taking screenshots and keeping a list of companies, dates and responses - but he does not own a smartphone.
"It is a hindrance to me when it comes to dealing with too much paperwork, admin, computers. I struggle with that," he said.
"You have to reset one password and then you start getting more passwords wrong because you're frustrated and gets you on a negative loop until it just wears away at your sanity a bit. I can't take that."
He told his case manager at Work and Income that the paperwork was too much and he wanted to come off the benefit - he was living at home and had started a part-time job but was hoping to complete a training course while on the benefit with the aim of getting full-time work.
He said he believed his ability to cope with admin was the problem, not Work and Income to whom he did not disclose his disability because he felt a bit embarrassed and ashamed.
Autism NZ chief executive Dane Dougan said he regularly hears from people who have given up on the benefit process.
"It's really concerning. We are hearing a lot, we don't capture those numbers ... but based on the number of people coming to us in these situations it certainly seems quite common."
Dougan said most people who came off the benefit by choice had family support - but not all..
"The outcomes ... for our neurodivergent and autistic people who lose access to the benefit and can't pay their bills, they could end up homeless or they could end up incarcerated and all those things are potentially a flow on effect for making it very difficult admin wise for our community to get a benefit so it's extremely concerning."
An advocate who helps people navigate the benefit system, Allison Tinsdale, said the number of forms to fill is actually scary for some people.
"It's mainly that I see people's reactions ... we have three one-page forms and I don't even like giving that to a client straight off because we've got too many people with writing issues to say fill out a form first, I say can we have a chat first then we'll see if we need to fill out anything."
Ministry of Social Development's group general manager client service delivery, Graham Allpress, said people who receive a work-tested benefit may have full or part-time work obligations, or work preparation obligations, depending on their situation.
"Obligations will vary depending on the main benefit type and people's individual circumstances, including the number and ages of dependent children, and a person's medically assessed capacity to participate in employment," he said.
"Based on discussions with the client, case managers will identify the most appropriate activities that will enable the person to move towards or into employment at the earliest opportunity."
Allpress said these activities could include "engaging with available support to create a CV, attending driver license training or an industry specific training programme or applying for suitable jobs and keeping a record of who has been approached".
He said MSD staff consider each person's individual circumstances before referring them to a job or an activity.
A MSD regional commissioner, Lynda Smardon, said they understand applying for a benefit and meeting the obligations can be challenging for some people.
Helping people apply for a benefit and meet their obligations, is a core part of what our case managers do every day."
She said when they know a person is neurodivergent they can offer support.
"He did not tell us about any disability or health condition which made it difficult for him to search for work or meet any of the activities that may need to be met as part of receiving a benefit."
Smardon said the man's case manager followed up to check on his decision to opt out of the benefit and offer support - but the man said he just had a few missed calls.
"MSD staff consider each person's individual circumstances before referring them to a job or an activity and have support available if people are having difficulty meeting their obligations," Smardon said.
"This includes support with updating a CV, referral to a Work Broker to help with job applications, and referrals to other service providers."
She said there are also regional health and disability teams, whose role is to support MSD's frontline staff to ensure that disabled whanau or people with health conditions get the right support.
Dougan said there is still stigma attached to neurodiversity in the workplace which could put people off from telling MSD they have a disability.
"Stigma is absolutely a problem because it's still quite widely misunderstood, particularly in the employment space. A lot of autistic people we hear from would be reluctant to disclose that they are autistic to work and Income staff and then that makes it difficult to provide extra support."
He said some of it came down to training and ensuring Work and Income staff were equipped to recognise when a person needed help.
The young man who came off the benefit said all he really needed was direct communication, face to face or over the phone.
"It would be more personal interactions I think it would have been better if I'd been able to get all of that information I needed from an actual person."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
