VOX, CEPR Policy Portal (04.11.2020) While few groups have weathered the Covid-19 crisis unscathed, recent evidence suggests that the damage has been especially extreme among the economically vulnerable. This column evaluates changing attitudes towards welfare spending as a result of the pandemic. The findings suggest that people living in areas most severely hit by the crisis are increasingly supportive of long-term reforms to the welfare system.

lemonde.fr (23.10.2020) Cette mesure d’urgence pourrait se pérenniser et inspirer d’autres programmes de revenu universel sur le continent.  8-5-5… Trois chiffres qui ont permis aux vendeuses de rue de Lomé, aux couturières ou aux cuisinières de continuer à nourrir leurs enfants au plus fort de la pandémie de Covid-19. En composant ce numéro sur leur téléphone mobile, ces femmes, dont l’activité informelle a disparu à cause de la crise, ont pu bénéficier d’un revenu minimum.

The Washington Post (05.11.2020) Gig economy workers were pushed to the brink. It led to a historic confrontation over the future of the business model. The state ballot measure, Proposition 22, will make drivers independent contractors according to California law. That supersedes a new law, known as A.B. 5, intended to grant drivers full employment, including minimum wage protections, health care and such benefits as unemployment and sick leave.

Federal Public Service Employment, Labor and Social Dialogue (30.10.2020). The law of 23 October 2020 extends, as October 1st, to salaried workers the benefit of the temporary unemployment scheme for force majeure due to corona in the event of the closure of the school, daycare or reception center for disabled people of their child introduced.

Rijksoverheid.nl (27.10.2020) Due to the corona measures, many events, such as music festivals and fairs, have been canceled. Companies and suppliers in the event industry are largely dependent on the summer months for their turnover. This fluctuation in turnover can cause a distorted picture when calculating the TVL. The cabinet is coming up with a one-off extra fee based on the TVL fee for the summer. It is expected to involve 800 event entrepreneurs, who will receive an average of around € 14,000. An amount of € 11 million has been reserved for this.

Rijksoverheid.nl (27.10.2020) Catering entrepreneurs have built up stocks that they can no longer use because of the temporary closure. They have also often invested in staying open in the winter in a corona-safe way, for example by covering their terrace. In addition to the Fixed Expenses Allowance (TVL), the cabinet is granting a one-off subsidy to compensate for these costs, of approximately 2.75 percent of the loss of turnover, an average of € 2500. Entrepreneurs can apply for the subsidy from mid-November via the TVL application. € 40 million has been reserved for this scheme.

Rijksoverheid.nl (27.10.2020) The Fixed Expenses Allowance (TVL) is intended to help entrepreneurs pay their fixed costs, such as rent, while much less money is earned. Until now, the TVL was limited to a number of sectors, but the cabinet has decided to temporarily open the TVL to all sectors. Not only companies directly affected will notice the consequences of the government measures, but also suppliers, the transport sector and food horticu

ONEM (03.11.2020) Currently, for employers who are not recognized as a particularly affected company or belonging to a particularly affected sector, this temporary unemployment still requires electronic communication from the employer to the ONEM. A simplification of the procedure being envisaged, these employers are not, for the moment, required to make this communication, which is not subject to a deadline.  

Federal Public Service Employment, Labor and Social Dialogue (30.10.2020) The law of 23 October 2020 extending the benefit of the temporary unemployment scheme to salaried workers in the event of the closure of the school, daycare or reception center for disabled people of their child was introduced from the October 1, 2020. Initially, it was proposed to extend the regulation relating to corona parental leave which was applicable until September 30 for these situations but this proposal was transformed into temporary unemployment. Workers can benefit from this new r

ILO (21.10.2020) This paper provides updated regional and global estimates of the costs and financing gaps for targets 1.3 and 3.8 of the SDGs relating to social protection and health care in 2020 and projections of incremental financial needs for reaching universal coverage in 2030. The paper analyses options for filling social protection financing gaps in developing countries during the crisis and beyond using domestic and external resources, including the strengthening and expansion of contributory systems. The analysis incorporates the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.