Unemployment benefit is linked to job search

Of Dimitris Katsaganis

The Ministry of Labor is trying to turn the unemployment benefit into a “lever” of employment and not staying in the subsidized unemployment with two basic “clauses” which are provided in the bill which he brought to Parliament yesterday..

According to the first “clause”, any unemployed person who is entitled to unemployment benefit from OAED (who will be renamed Public Employment Service), finds a job during the period of his subsidy from OAED, will not lose his allowance completely, but will gets 50% for as long as his subsidy lasts.

This means that for the period during which he is employed while at the same time the subsidy period is still “running” from OAED, he will receive not only his salary from work, but half of his unemployment benefit. Thus the unemployment benefit is converted into “benefit work ”.

The second “clause” provides for the cessation of the payment of unemployment benefits to any beneficiary who refuses three times a job offered by OAED or does not participate in a training program or does not refuse to draw up an “Individual Action Plan”, during his subsidy.

The bill provides in detail the following:

– Extension of the payment of unemployment benefit

An unemployed person who is looking for work and receives unemployment benefit and is employed before the end of the maximum period provided for the benefit or the aid he receives, continues to receive the corresponding benefits reduced by half until the end of the period. corresponding maximum duration of the allowance or aid. The above benefits do not continue to be paid in case of re-employment of the job seeker to an employer, who had been employed for the two years before his registration in the Public Employment Service Register.

– For example, an unemployed person is entitled to an unemployment benefit of 407 euros from June 2022 to June 2023 (ie the increase in unemployment benefits from 1 May, after the forthcoming increase in the minimum wage, is not taken into account) . However, in January 2023, this unemployed person finds a job, with a salary of 800 euros (net). Given that his subsidy period from OAED is valid for the period January-June 2023, the recruiter will receive for the first half of 2023, not only his salary (800 euros), but also 50% of the unemployment benefit, that is, the amount of 203.5 euros. Therefore, his total salary (from his employer and OAED) for the first half of 2023, will amount to 1003.5 euros.

Consequences of violation of the obligations of job seekers

If the jobseeker refuses three offered jobs, which are in accordance with the Digital Individual Action Plan and the specific characteristics of the jobseeker that are reflected in it, the payment of the unemployment benefit is stopped. Also the job seeker is deleted from the Digital Register of the Public Employment Service (D.Y.P.A.) for two years.

Moreover, if the job seeker does not participate in an in-service vocational training activity indicated by the Ministry of Education, the payment of the unemployment benefit is stopped and the job seeker is deleted from the Digital Register of the Ministry of Education. for 6 months. Participation means the monitoring of the training action until its completion and its certification for the successful completion of the training.

Failure to compile the Digital Individual Action Plan in collaboration with the employment consultant within the deadlines set has the same consequences.

If the jobseeker does not fulfill other obligations related to his / her cooperation with the employment counselor, the more specific consequences provided in this decision occur.

– For example, an unemployed person who is entitled to unemployment benefit from OAED regular unemployment benefit from July 2022 to July 2023. In August 2022, OAED offers him a job that fits the “profile” of the Individual Action Plan of.

However, the unemployed refuse this position. The unemployed do the same in October, but also in December 2022. Then, from January 2023, he will lose his unemployment benefit for the period until June 2023.