State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO (29.10.2020) By paying the compensation in the event of reduced working hours (RHT), unemployment insurance (AC) covers, for a certain time, part of the wage costs of workers whose normal working hours are reduced , and this in order to prevent layoffs resulting from short but inevitable job losses. The Federal Council has decided to maintain the simplified procedure for the notice of reduced working hours (RHT) and the summary procedure for the counting of the reduction in working hours until the end of December 2020. Thus, Until December 31, 2020, only the “RHT COVID-19 Procedure” should be used to process RHT and only COVID-19 forms should be used for RHT, regardless of the rationale for RHT.

Federal Council (28.10.2020) On October 28, 2020, the Federal Council amended the Covid-19 unemployment insurance ordinance. With this change, the right to compensation for reduced working hours is granted to on-call workers who have an indefinite contract. The change comes into effect retroactively on September 1, 2020.

worldbank.org (nov 2020) The unprecedented and ongoing scale-up of social protection responses to the COVID-19 pandemic dwarf the response to the Great Recession. But how are countries financing such scale-up efforts? This note lays out ten stylized findings from a rapid review of social protection financing sources in thirty-one countries, including in terms of composition between external and domestic resources, and specific modalities within each.

Public service  (19.11.2020) Employment assistance for young Monegasques or residents, under the age of 26, looking for a first job or first permanent professional integration, registered with the Commission for the Integration of Graduates and the Youth Employment Unit allows companies that recruit them to benefit from reimbursement of employer contributions (CCSS, CAR, AMRR, ASSEDIC, CET), for a maximum period of two years. This measure is open to employers until June 30, 2021.

Service Public (19.11.2020) As part of the Principality's economic recovery plan, the Government has decided to renew the Partial Exemption from Employers' Charges (EPCP) measure . From now on, new sectors of activity that have been permanently impacted are included, and the turnover ceiling is raised to 5 million euros achieved in 2019, instead of one million previously. In accordance with the Ministerial Decision of October 1, 2020, this mechanism aims to allow companies, strongly and durably impacted by the Covid19 crisis, to benefit from a partial exemption from the employer's share of Autonomous pension fund (CAR) and Social services compensation fund (CCSS) contributions for a given period. The measure is valid for the months of August to December 2020.

NBER (October 2020) This working paper examine trends in employment, earnings, and incomes over the last two decades in the United States, and how the safety net has responded to changing fortunes, including the shutdown of the economy in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The U.S. safety net is a patchwork of different programs providing in-kind as well as cash benefits and had many holes prior to the Pandemic. In addition, few of the programs are designed explicitly as automatic stabilizers. We show that the safety net response to employment losses in the Covid-19 Pandemic largely consists only of increased support from unemployment insurance and food assistance programs, which did not replace the lost income for many households. We discuss possible options to reform social assistance in America that may provide more robust income floors in times of economic downturns.

fbihvlada.gov.ba (16.10.2020)

The Government of the Federation of BiH adopted the Decree on Intervention Measures to Support Vulnerable Sectors of the FBiH Economy in the Circumstances of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The general objective is to provide liquidity support to the most vulnerable sectors / activities, to preserve jobs, and to provide urgently needed support and maintain competitiveness in export-oriented sectors. The total financial resources for the implementation of this regulation are provided in the FBiH Budget for 2020 in the amount of 90,000,000 KM and distributed to the departments of line ministries. Thus, the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism was allocated 30,000,000 KM to help the tourism and hospitality sector, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Communications 20,000,000 KM to help this sector, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry 10,000,000 KM to help agriculture and food industry, and the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry 30,000,000 KM to assist export companies.

The EU is making additional financial resources available to the member states to strengthen cohesion and boost the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The German Presidency of the Council and the European Parliament today reached a political agreement on REACT-EU, an emergency legislative initiative to release €47.5 billion through the structural funds to the hardest hit member states and regions. Support could be used for short-time work schemes to preserve jobs; education and training, especially teaching digital skills; improving access to social care; or providing working capital to SMEs as well as financing green projects.

October 2020 . See in particular the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Labour and Employment 

La Seguridad Social abona mañana viernes 234,21 millones de euros a más de 256.000 trabajadores autónomos a los que les ha sido reconocida alguna de las prestaciones puestas en marcha para paliar la situación de este colectivo como consecuencia de la pandemia de la COVID-19.

thedailystar.net  (16.11.2020) The government decision to distribute the fund under its social safety net programme through mobile financial services will ensure transparency and bring more unbanked people under the formal financial system, according to industry people.

EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF SLOVENIA (11.11.2020) Incentives for the employment of persons from the training workshop program, the monthly subsidy amounts to EUR 740. It is paid 6 times for a minimum of 6 months of employment or 12 times for a minimum of 12 months of uninterrupted employment.  Subsidized employment is financed by the Republic of Slovenia (20%) and the European Union from the European Social Fund (80% of the total value).   

EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF SLOVENIA (11.11.2020) Incentives for the employment of persons from the training workshop program, the monthly subsidy amounts to EUR 740. It is paid 6 times for a minimum of 6 months of employment or 12 times for a minimum of 12 months of uninterrupted employment.  Subsidized employment is financed by the Republic of Slovenia (20%) and the European Union from the European Social Fund (80% of the total value). 

EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF SLOVENIA (11.11.2020) The monthly subsidy for permanent employment of unemployed young people with permanent residence in western Slovenia (cohesion region) amounts to EUR  208. It can be paid for a  maximum of 24 months. The employment relationship must be concluded for an indefinite period. 

EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF SLOVENIA (11.11.2020) As part of the public invitation Zaposli.me , employers can obtain a subsidy for the employment of people over 30 who have lost their jobs for business reasons, due to bankruptcy, liquidation or compulsory settlement as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic , by registering  in our unemployment register in the period from March 13, 2020 to February 28, 2021.

In the public invitation may apply employers who are natural or legal persons at least 12 months registered in the Commercial Register of Slovenia, have at least one employee in the past three months, or are self-employed and still meet all the other conditions listed in public invitations.

The monthly employment subsidy  based on the public invitation Zaposli.me ranges from EUR 416 to EUR 666. The amount depends on the number of criteria set in the target group of the unemployed and met by the job candidate. The employment relationship must last at least 12 months without interruption.

GOV.SI (11.11.2020) The ACP6 introduces higher bonuses for care home employees. According to the law, bonuses for working in the grey and red zones are 30% of the salary base and apply regardless of whether or not an epidemic has been officially declared. In this way, employees are additionally compensated for working in the grey and red zones, regardless of the respective collective agreement, which provides a bonus of up to 65% during an epidemic. These two bonuses have been mutually exclusive so far, but as of now the higher of the two will be paid.

Legestart (10.11.2020) The Chamber of Deputies has adopted a legislative proposal that provides for the extension of the categories of persons benefiting from the reduction by 2 years of the standard retirement age because they lived at least 30 years in areas with residual pollution, being introduced another 27 localities, including Bacău , Oneşti, Năvodari, Baraolt, Târgovişte and Titu. The legislative proposal has as object of regulation the modification of paragraph 5 of article 65 of Law no. 263/2010, aiming at extending the categories of persons who benefit from the reduction of the standard retirement age by two years, without penalty, if they have lived for at least 30 years in some areas affected by residual pollution, as well as within a radius of 8 km around the contaminated site.

The Sofia Globe (09.11.2020) Bulgaria’s Government has approved an additional 81 million leva, or about 41.4 million euro, for the country’s healthcare system to help fight the rising number of Covid-19 infections in the country. The funding will cover the rest of 2020.

65 million leva will go towards hospitals and other medical facilities to diagnose and treat coronavirus patients. 15 million leva would go towards the acquisition of rapid antigen tests, for use in the mobile diagnostics centres.

Additionally, the Cabinet approved the allocation of 16 million leva from the National Health Insurance Fund reserves. Of that money, 10 million leva would be given to general practitioners, which would receive an additional 1000 leva a month to track Covid-19 patients.

The Guardian (11.11.2020) Ballot measure exempting ride-sharing companies from treating drivers as employees could serve as model for future laws

European Commission (09.11.2020) The report analyses the progress towards the Europe 2020 target on reducing poverty and social exclusion, together with the latest social trends to watch, and presents the key structural social challenges in each Member State. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic that has swept across Europe in 2020, the report also focuses on the decisive action taken by Member States to protect employment, income and access to services through a variety of measures.

gov.ge (17.09.2020)

According to the government's decision, the support program for small entrepreneurs within the framework of Enterprise Georgia will be expanded from 5 October. Specifically, the government increased the budget of this program to 41 million GEL and increased the volume of one-off funding as well - to 30,000 GEL.

llv.li (29.09.2020)

At its meeting on September 29, the government decided to extend the period of validity for the payment of the COVID-19 daily allowance beyond September until the end of the year in view of current developments. The deadlines in the guideline for the payment of daily allowances due to measures to combat the coronavirus have been adjusted accordingly.

riis.ee (03.09.2020)

On 3 September, the government approved a decision to partially change the requirements for applicants in the field of music and film. The aim of the changes concerning the field of music is to expand the target group of beneficiaries. An opportunity to apply for support is also given to those organizations in the field of music that did not qualify in the first call for applications. By the government decision, the maximum level of payment was abolished, which gives organizations, whose losses exceed 15,000 euros, the opportunity to apply for support that would compensate the full extent of the damages to ensure the sustainability of the organization. The changes concerning the support scheme for film are technical and the content of the support requirements and the target group will not change. The total allocation for the support measure for music and film in this call for applications is 2 million euros.

financa.gov.al (23.09.2020)

Employment promotion programs have been designed as part of government support packages for the economic and social recovery caused by the pandemic. Their goal is the rapid reintegration into the labor market of jobseekers who have become unemployed as a result of COVID 19, avoiding their support through passive support schemes, such as unemployment benefits or economic assistance. Also, through payroll and mandatory social contributions, programs promote job creation and support companies in the recovery process

regjeringen.no (10.11.2020) The government proposes to provide NOK 300 million so that activity in the event industry can be resumed as soon as the contagion situation allows. The allocation can be increased if necessary.