Overview of measures by target group – category: Workers

Unemployed

Eurofound has identified 48 measures for this target group. Most of these measures fall into the category Income protection beyond short-time work (48%).

Ensuring business continuity and support for essential services
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	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
08 September 2020	Special vocational and educational schemes and subsidy of wage costs Cyprus, Other initiatives or policies
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	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
Income protection beyond short-time work
15 July 2020	Suspension of conditionality requirements for income support measures Italy, Legislations or other statutory regulations
09 July 2020	Lump-some payments for unemployed and children Austria, Legislations or other statutory regulations
02 July 2020	Temporary job-search benefit for unemployed who would otherwise not be eligible to receive benefits Lithuania, Legislations or other statutory regulations
13 May 2020 Updated	Suspension of the degressivity of the unemployment benefits during the crisis Belgium, Legislations or other statutory regulations
25 April 2020 Updated	COVID-19 pandemic unemployment payment introduced Ireland, Legislations or other statutory regulations
25 April 2020	New compensation scheme for laid off apprentices Norway, Legislations or other statutory regulations
17 April 2020	Temporary prolongation of the payment period during layoff Norway, Legislations or other statutory regulations
16 April 2020	Extension of expired or expiring unemployment benefit payments Greece, Legislations or other statutory regulations
16 April 2020	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	Online application for unemployment benefit Austria, Legislations or other statutory regulations
13 April 2020	Stricter rules on leave for family reasons in connection with the Coronavirus epidemic Luxembourg, Legislations or other statutory regulations
13 April 2020	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	COVID-19: Unemployed can take seasonal work in agriculture without loss of benefits Bulgaria, 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	Extension of the support period for unemployment benefit Slovakia, Legislations or other statutory regulations
04 April 2020 Updated	Additional unemployed benefit Malta, 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
02 July 2020	Exceptional unemployment benefits Slovenia, 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
13 April 2020 Updated	Corona family hardship fund and family crisis fund Austria, 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
Promoting the economic, labour market and social recovery
09 September 2020	Tripartite educational programmes for the laid off and the unemployed Norway, Other initiatives or policies
24 August 2020	Employment grant to promote access to employment Malta, Other initiatives or policies
16 July 2020	Measure: 'Employment for you': subsidised employment for hiring unemployed Bulgaria, Tripartite agreements
10 July 2020	Increased unemployment benefit rate granted during education Denmark, Legislations or other statutory regulations
09 July 2020	Right to combine unemployment benefit with training Norway, 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

COVID-19 EU PolicyWatch

Database of national-level responses

Unemployed