The research looked at 140,000 people who moved off a benefit from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011. This period was chosen because it allowed a two-year follow-up period that was not affected by the July 2013 welfare reforms, which included changes to the benefit system.
The research was undertaken using Statistics New Zealand’s Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is a set of administrative data from government agencies. The analysis makes use of a person’s historical information, such as their work and benefit history, which helped us better understand the different pathways people took after moving off a benefit.