The province of Alicante will be one of the regions that will benefit most from the unemployment benefit reform approved by the Council of Ministers this Tuesday. It is generally one of the districts where the most workers receive this aid.It is aimed at those who have already exhausted their co-payment aid or have not contributed enough. This is a much more common situation in regions where seasonality in employment is high.
In this way, according to the latest data of the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, the average 36,214 Alicante residents every monthEven a number that exceeds that of recipients of monthly total contributions of 33,399. The Basque regions, where the majority collect the usually higher contribution, something that is not the case in other provinces with distinct seasons, such as Madrid or Barcelona, which are less dependent on fluctuations in tourism and other activities.
The changes, approved after a fierce battle between vice presidents Nadia Calviño and Yolanda Díaz, ensure that those who access this assistance from now on They will start charging 570 euros a month for the first six months (equivalent to 95% of IPREM, Multiple Impact Public Revenue Indicator, compared to the current €480). An amount to be reduced to 540 euros (or 90% of the current IPREM) in the next period to encourage job search; and only from next year will it be 480 euros again (80% of IPREM). Yes definitely, In the case of subsidies for people over 52 years of age, this amount is retained. this final amount for the entire period possible until retirement.
More beneficiaries
Also from now on the number of possible beneficiaries is increasing Those who are under the age of 45 and have no family responsibilities can request it. and temporary workers in the agricultural sector across the country (so far only those from Andalusia and Extremadura have been able to receive this aid), and the total number of beneficiaries across Spain is predicted to rise from the current 800,000 to over a million. Following the same ratio, In the case of Alicante, the beneficiary base could be expanded by approximately 9,000 people.
Another innovation is Getting fit for a job for 180 days And? waiting time is eliminated It is one month from the date the contribution amount is exhausted to the date the subsidy can be claimed.
As the Vice President and the Minister of Labor have emphasized, this is clearly gender-biased aid. Thus in the state Women represent 56% of all beneficiaries currently about 20,284 compared to 15,930 men. Likewise, until six in ten are professionals currently over 55This makes it difficult for them to reintegrate into the labor market. In fact, if you look at how they access subsidy, the majority do so through special benefits for over-52s.
To give an idea of the difference it represents in terms of contribution, it is sufficient to note that the average amount of those receiving the contribution is as follows: Compared to 938 euros per month in Alicante, where the subsidy is 480 euros until.
Evaluation
Unions value the progress the change represents but feel it is insufficient. For example, the general secretary of the UGT in l’Alacantí i la Marina, Yolanda Diaz Approximately 40% of the unemployed in the province they still can’t get help -Of the 133,146 registered unemployed people in October, only 73,521 received any amount-so they demand that the work continue. improving coverage for all unemployed people.
For his part, general secretary of the CC OO in l’Alacantí-les Marines, Francisco GarcíaAlthough he insists that this is insufficient because the unions are demanding that the amount be increased above 600 euros, he also values the improvement and emphasizes: “Two out of three beneficiaries do not consume all aid“, according to him, this refutes the narrative of those who say that the improvement in benefits is discouraging the search for work.