The Social Development Minister's admitting the number of beneficiaries may keep growing this year. 

The number on the benefit's reached a new record for the June quarter, with 11.9% of working-aged people receiving it. 

This is despite a more than 50% rise in benefit sanctions in the last year. 

Social Development Minister Louise Upston told Mike Hosking Treasury expects Jobseeker numbers to peak around the end of the year. 

She says they've set an ambitious target to reduce the number of people on Jobseeker by 50 thousand within six years. 

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