In May, 22,546 members (1,100 fewer than in April) received earnings-related unemployment allowance. The number of recipients increased by 7.9% compared with the same period last year. In May, 9.9% of the members of A-kassa Open Unemployment Fund received earnings-related employment allowance.
Of all the recipients, 30.8% were temporarily laid-off. compared to 34.5% in April. The proportion of those laid-off increased at the beginning of the year and but began a sharp fall after March.
In May, we asked the members of A-kassa Open Unemployment Fund about their employment prospects in the coming summer. Of the respondents, 54% said their job situation looked promising, 4% were about to start a new job, 13% were worried about their job situation and 9% said they were facing redundancy or layoff. The proportion of unemployed among the respondents was 20%. The survey was responded to by 3,227 A-kassa members.
The number of recipients of the adjusted unemployment allowance showed a moderate increase during the first half of the year; the proportion of the recipients of adjusted unemployment allowance was 17.3% in May, the highest this year.
In May, EUR 34.3 million were paid in earnings-related unemployment allowances, which is 14.3% more than in the same period last year. The cumulative amount of unemployment allowances paid from January to May was €174.5 million, which is €3.4 million more than in the same period last year.
The average number of days paid in May was 20.3, showing a slight year-on-year decline.
Typically, most relocation allowances are paid in April and September, and there was indeed a significant increase in the number of relocation allowance applicants in May. The number of applicants this year was slightly higher than last year. The purpose of the relocation allowance is to encourage job seekers to accept work further afield. There was also a significant increase in applications for the relocation allowance in May compared with previous months. Unemployment funds have been paying out relocation allowances since January 2023.
