New Zealand employers have welcomed the Government’s plan to drug test people on the jobseeking benefit, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says.
Bennett told TV ONE’s Breakfast this morning that many employers view the cost of drug testing applicants as beneficial to their business in the long term.
“Get on with it is the word I am getting constantly from employers,” she said.
Prime Minister John Key said the Government is still working through the details of the tests in which those on the benefits face having their welfare cut if they decline or fail a drug test.
Bennett said that any costs related to the testing outweigh the demand employers have for workers.
“What they desperately need are the workers,” she said.
“And workers that are available and wanting to be there, clean of drugs and able to get on with the jobs.”
As many companies are already paying for drug testing as part of their recruitment process, Bennett believes that the new initiative will not be adding any further costs.