NATIONAL LABOUR MARKET POLICIES

Basic Information Reports

2.4.1.System of benefit

Unemployment benefit is payable to workers who have lost their job through no fault of their own and have worked for at least 125 working days in the 14 months before they became unemployed, excluding any days worked in the last two months. Persons receiving benefit for the first time must in addition have worked for at least 80 working days per year over the last two years.

The duration of benefit depends on the number of days worked as follows:

Number of working days	Duration of benefit (months)
125	5
150	6
180	8
220	10
250	12

Unemployment benefit consists of a basic amount and a family supplement. The basic amount is 40% of a blue-collar worker's earnings and 50% of a white-collar worker's earnings, provided that the unemployment benefit is not less than two-thirds of the earnings of an unskilled worker.

According to Decree-Law 2951/54 on unemployment benefit, in order to receive this benefit and at the same time find a job, all unemployed persons have to be registered at the competent local office of the OAED and be issued with an "unemployment card". From this point until the end of the period that the unemployed person is entitled to benefit, he/she reports to that office, which tries to find a job for him/her.

Certain measures have been taken to ensure that the recipient is really unemployed, including the requirement to report to the employment office at certain times. Unemployment benefits are paid to unemployed persons every 30 days.

Law 2224/94 (§ 12) led to changes in the way in which the daily unemployment benefit (as provided for by § 21 of Decree- Law 296/54) is calculated, and raised the value of the daily benefit by 30% as of 31.12.1993. As far as the family supplements are concerned, the only significant change was the increase in the level of benefit of between 20% and 26% depending on the number of children.

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