People on flexible contracts who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus crisis may be eligible for a €600 per month benefit, government sources have told public broadcaster NOS.

The measure is aimed at bailing out students, people on staffing contracts and people who have just started working and who no longer have an income, the sources said. To qualify, claimants must be able to prove they earned at least €600 in the preceding months.

However, there are concerns that the state benefit agency UWV does not have the current capacity to cope with the claims, in which case the idea will be abandoned, NOS said.

Tens of thousands of people – particularly people on temporary or zero hours contracts – are thought to have been left with no income because they are not covered by the existing rulings.

Student organisations say they are disappointed in the proposals because most students who have lost work earned less than €600 a month. According to the LSVB student union, students who worked earned an average of €530 before the crisis hit.