Last modified on Wed 12 May 2021 02.34 EDT
Fewer jobseekers will have face-to-face meetings with employment services providers when the jobactive program is scrapped next year, in a digital overhaul that will cut government spending on employment services by $860.4m.
Despite the pandemic pushing more people into the employment services system, the four-year savings continue the trend of cutting spending in the area, after last year’s budget also banked about $1.4bn.
The budget papers show the flagship jobactive program will be replaced by a so-called “New Employment Services Model” from July 2022 that will allow the “most job-ready jobseekers to manage their job search requirements online”.