Overview of measures by target group – category: Workers

Unemployed

Eurofound has identified 76 measures for this target group. Most of these measures fall into the category Income protection beyond short-time work (33%).

Ensuring business continuity and support for essential services
27 November 2020	Temporary interventions in labour law Slovenia, Legislations or other statutory regulations
26 October 2020	Care jobs for temporary unemployed Belgium, Other initiatives or policies
20 May 2020 Updated	Creating incentives for unemployed to work in horticulture and other essential services and flexibilisation of successive fixed-term contracts Belgium, Legislations or other statutory regulations
16 April 2020 Updated	Removal of income ceiling for student aid to facilitate work in essential services Sweden, Legislations or other statutory regulations
09 April 2020	Temporary and exceptional support to the emergency reinforcement of public and solidary health and social care services Portugal, Legislations or other statutory regulations
Supporting businesses to stay afloat
17 April 2020 Updated	Temporary amendment to the regulation of layoffs Norway, Legislations or other statutory regulations
Employment protection and retention
29 June 2020 Updated	Special support schemes for workers and businesses Cyprus, Legislations or other statutory regulations
14 April 2020	Measures to speed up the processing and payment of unemployment benefits Spain, Legislations or other statutory regulations
13 April 2020	Unemployment benefit guarantee in case of temporary collective dismissal or reduced working time Spain, Legislations or other statutory regulations
Supporting businesses to get back to normal
30 November 2020	Special vocational educational scheme for the unemployed in public and broader public sector and NGOs Cyprus, Other initiatives or policies
08 September 2020	Special vocational and educational schemes and subsidy of wage costs Cyprus, Other initiatives or policies
26 July 2021	Re-employment contract Italy, Legislations or other statutory regulations
17 April 2020	Guide to the COVID-19 'Job-VET-model' Denmark, Non-binding recommendations or other texts
16 April 2020 Updated	More opportunities for VET Sweden, Legislations or other statutory regulations
16 April 2020	More places and more distance learning at higher education institutions for unemployed Sweden, Legislations or other statutory regulations
16 April 2020 Updated	More active labour market policy Sweden, Legislations or other statutory regulations
16 April 2020	Distance learning introduced for public training programmes Greece, Legislations or other statutory regulations
07 April 2021	DKK 50 million for the upskilling of unemployed from the mink industry Denmark, Legislations or other statutory regulations
02 February 2021	The new annual programme of Public Employment Services Network European Union, Legislations or other statutory regulations
Income protection beyond short-time work
13 November 2020	Unemployment benefit and extension of protection to the cultural sector Spain, Other initiatives or policies
28 October 2020 Updated	Extension of unemployment benefits to self-employed Latvia, Legislations or other statutory regulations
07 October 2021	Special support scheme for the unemployed in the hotel sector Cyprus, Legislations or other statutory regulations
29 July 2021	Discipline of the unemployment benefit Italy, Legislations or other statutory regulations
15 July 2020	Suspension of conditionality requirements for income support measures Italy, Legislations or other statutory regulations
09 July 2020 Updated	Lump-sum payments for unemployed and children Austria, Legislations or other statutory regulations
02 July 2020 Updated	Temporary job-search benefit for unemployed who would otherwise not be eligible to receive benefits Lithuania, Legislations or other statutory regulations
02 July 2020 Updated	Exceptional unemployment benefits Slovenia, Legislations or other statutory regulations
13 May 2020 Updated	Suspension of the degressivity of unemployment benefits during the crisis Belgium, Legislations or other statutory regulations
25 April 2020 Updated	New compensation scheme for laid off apprentices Norway, Legislations or other statutory regulations
17 April 2020 Updated	Temporary prolongation of the payment period during layoff Norway, Legislations or other statutory regulations
16 April 2020 Updated	Extension of expired or expiring unemployment benefit payments Greece, Legislations or other statutory regulations
16 April 2020 Updated	Financial support for suspended and dismissed employees Greece, Legislations or other statutory regulations
16 April 2020 Updated	Three months' suspension of eligibility criteria for long-term unemployment benefit holders Denmark, Legislations or other statutory regulations
15 April 2020 Updated	Increased access to unemployment benefits and sickness benefits Denmark, Legislations or other statutory regulations
13 April 2020 Updated	Temporary reinforcement of unemployment insurance Sweden, Legislations or other statutory regulations
13 April 2020 Updated	Temporarily shortened working requirement for unemployment benefit eligibility Finland, Legislations or other statutory regulations
13 April 2020 Updated	Cancellation of the unemployment allowance deductible period in the case of temporary layoff or dismissal Finland, Legislations or other statutory regulations
13 April 2020 Updated	State-funded unemployment security during the waiting period Finland, Legislations or other statutory regulations
13 April 2020	Extension of unemployment benefit entitlements for jobseekers France, Legislations or other statutory regulations
12 April 2020 Updated	COVID-19: Unemployed can take seasonal work in agriculture without loss of benefits Bulgaria, Legislations or other statutory regulations
08 April 2021	Further extension of the unemployment benefit period Slovakia, Legislations or other statutory regulations
08 April 2020 Updated	Extraordinary extension of unemployment benefit and social benefit Portugal, Legislations or other statutory regulations
06 April 2020 Updated	Extension of the support period for unemployment benefit Slovakia, Legislations or other statutory regulations
31 March 2020	Extension of protection for unemployment benefits Spain, Legislations or other statutory regulations
Measures to prevent social hardship
01 September 2020	Water and energy premium in case of temporary unemployment Belgium, Legislations or other statutory regulations
11 May 2020	Automatic extension of unemployment benefits Luxembourg, Legislations or other statutory regulations
16 April 2020 Updated	Governmental GBP 500 million fund for council tax relief for people in need United Kingdom, Legislations or other statutory regulations
12 April 2020	Mortgage debt moratorium Spain, Legislations or other statutory regulations
10 April 2020 Updated	Extension of meal/eco/gift/sport/culture cheques Belgium, Non-binding recommendations or other texts
07 February 2021	“Alliance against COVID”: Joint action by the social partners GSEE and GSEVEE and the radio station Alpha989 Greece, Other initiatives or policies
11 January 2021 Updated	Easing access to basic income scheme Germany, Legislations or other statutory regulations
Promoting the economic, labour market and social recovery
23 December 2020	Agreement on measures targeted at the long-term unemployed Denmark, Legislations or other statutory regulations
26 October 2020	Subsidised employment: Incentives for companies to hire unemployed Cyprus, Legislations or other statutory regulations
24 October 2020	Programs to improve the employability of unemployed people Spain, Legislations or other statutory regulations
21 October 2020	Subsidy for 100,000 recruitments of unemployed Greece, Legislations or other statutory regulations
11 October 2021	Training and employment for youth and people with a guaranteed minimum income Romania, Legislations or other statutory regulations
07 October 2020	Supporting the labour market integration of young people - internships ATIVAR.PT Portugal, Legislations or other statutory regulations
06 October 2020	Financial support for the hiring of young unemployed - Incentive ATIVAR.PT Portugal, Legislations or other statutory regulations
06 October 2020	Wage subsidy in agriculture Estonia, Legislations or other statutory regulations
02 October 2020	Internship ATIVAR.PT - Internships for unemployed persons with disability or impairment Portugal, Legislations or other statutory regulations
01 October 2020 Updated	Wage support to re-employ previously laid off staff Norway, Legislations or other statutory regulations
28 September 2020	Employment reintegration contract for disadvantaged workers Luxembourg, Legislations or other statutory regulations
10 September 2020	Support for self-employment of people with disabilities Lithuania, Legislations or other statutory regulations
09 September 2020	Tripartite educational programmes for the laid off and the unemployed Norway, Other initiatives or policies
08 September 2020	ATIVAR.PT Labour market integration internships Portugal, Other initiatives or policies
07 September 2020	Incentive ATIVAR.PT - Financial incentives to hire registered unemployed Portugal, Other initiatives or policies
24 August 2020	Employment grant to promote access to employment Malta, Other initiatives or policies
16 July 2020 Updated	Measure: 'Employment for you': subsidised employment for hiring unemployed Bulgaria, Tripartite agreements
13 July 2021	New Pathways to Work strategy as part of National Recovery Plan Ireland, Other initiatives or policies
10 July 2020	Increased unemployment benefit rate granted during education Denmark, Legislations or other statutory regulations
09 July 2020 Updated	Right to combine unemployment benefit with training Norway, Legislations or other statutory regulations
24 April 2021	Financial incentives to hire unemployed on an open-ended basis Spain, Legislations or other statutory regulations
08 April 2021	Assistance in hiring the unemployed Bulgaria, Legislations or other statutory regulations
03 April 2020 Updated	Extension of the employee re-employment obligation to nine months Finland, Legislations or other statutory regulations
11 March 2021	The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities: A pilot to overhaul hiring processes in the wake of COVID United Kingdom, Company practices
02 January 2021	COVID-19 education bonus Austria, Legislations or other statutory regulations

COVID-19 EU PolicyWatch

Database of national-level responses

Unemployed