Welfare claims set to soar in 2010
Thursday 22 October 2009
The benefits payment office UWV expects 150,000 people to lose their unemployment benefits and to begin claiming basic welfare next year, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday.
Income-related unemployment benefit (ww) is paid for between three and 38 months, depending on how long people were in work. After that the jobless can claim basic welfare, provided they own assets of no more than €5,455.
The 150,000 new claims expected by the UWV would be double the 2008 figure.
The UWV says in particular the sharp increase in youth unemployment will boost welfare claims. 'Because they have a short working history, they quickly use up their rights to unemployment benefit,' a spokesman told the paper.
The organisation also has its doubts about the more optimistic jobless forecasts made by the government's macro-economic policy unit CPB, according to news agency ANP.
The CPB now expects the jobless total to reach 615,000 or 8% of the working population by the end of next year. It had earlier put the figure at 9.5%. At the moment, some 5% of the working population are officially unemployed.
© DutchNews.nl
Readers' comments
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I hear UWV is adding to the Welfare Claim Problem!
How come recently I am meeting unemployed ex-UWV staff, if demand for their services is set to increase?
Seriously, I've met some really hard working conscientious people who are no longer work for UWV.
It does seem, from the stories I hear, that the hard working quiet people who were prepared to put-in the extra hours demanded of them were the 1st to GO!
Then again, I'm only hearing one side of the story.
By Gerard | October 22, 2009 1:35 PM