Ka tautokona a mātau whakatau e ngā raraunga, e te tātari me ngā mōhiotanga Data, analytics and insights help us make the right decisions for New Zealanders

We deliver data and analytics that help us deliver to our purpose by aiding effective decision making, focusing resources on the right investments, and understanding and evaluating performance.

We generate a variety of products and insights to support key frontline operations (such as case manager and service centre reporting and client service matching), performance measurement, external performance reporting, ministerial servicing, responses to official information requests, research and evaluation, policy advice, data feeds to partners, and Statistics New Zealand’s Integrated Data Infrastructure.

We provide tools to improve the effectiveness of frontline decision-making and services to clients. We have developed and improved smart tools that help our case managers in their discussions with clients about employment aspirations and skill gaps, as well as in recommending services that may help them meet their employment goals.

Developing timely and robust labour market intelligence

In response to the demand for more timely and robust labour market intelligence to inform our policy and delivery efforts to support New Zealanders into work, we have redeveloped our benefit reporting platforms. We are also working closely with other agencies to bring together data and analysis on labour market supply and demand, which is vital in economically uncertain times.

Our data and analysis have proven critical for supporting the all-of-government response to COVID-19, and we continue to make available more fine-grained regional and demographic information and analysis of benefit system flows to support that work. This includes supporting cross-government scenario and modelling efforts.

Enhancing benefit data reporting

In 2020/21 we published more data, more frequently, to inform public discussion of the impact of COVID-19 on the New Zealand economy. This included moving from quarterly to monthly and weekly reporting, and more detailed regional breakdowns to reflect local labour markets. It also included reporting for the $14 billion Wage Subsidy scheme, which supported more than 1.7 million jobs. This reporting had to be developed extremely quickly and informed nationally significant policy decisions, such as during the Auckland resurgence.

We continued to enhance self-service reporting across MSD. In April we launched the Social Development Data application – an interactive income support data reporting and visualisation tool. The new application also includes the underlying data for download, so that members of the public can conduct their own analyses.

We will be expanding our reporting through both the Social Development Data application and standard publications to develop further data content and regional views, and will continue to enhance the accessibility and functionality of our reporting.