It’s considered a temporary payment to help people look for work, or cover costs when they are unwell.

But the number of long-term JobSeeker recipients has almost tripled since 2012, as the lucrative employment services industry struggles to find work for people who would otherwise be on different welfare payments.

Meanwhile, those looking for work say the fortnightly rate is lagging so far behind real costs it’s stretching them to the very limit. And they didn’t get a hike in the federal budget this year.

So how are the 900,000 people on JobSeeker making ends meet?