The number of users of unemployment benefits is lower by about 2,500 compared to March, and currently there are no major changes or oscillations in the labor market in Serbia, said the director of the National Employment Service (NES), Zoran Martinovic.
He added that 32,300 citizens currently exercise the right to financial compensation.
– Between 5,000 and 6,000 people apply for unemployment benefits per month and this trend is similar to previous years – said Martinovic, explaining that during the epidemic when employers operate in difficult conditions, the number of people receiving cash benefits has not increased compared to March even reduced the number of users by about 2,500. The number of people who apply for exercising that right on a monthly basis is at the same level as in previous years, and there has been no drop in employment or an increase in the number of unemployed – said Martinovic.
The right to unemployment benefit can be exercised by persons whose employment or insurance is terminated, and they must be insured continuously for 12 months or with interruptions in the last 18 months.
– It is also important that the employment relationship was not terminated by the will or guilt of the employee – the director of the NES mentioned.
The coverage of persons who can exercise the right to financial compensation is now somewhat wider and that right belongs to those who have been declared redundant, then those who worked in companies in which bankruptcy or liquidation was introduced, employees whose fixed-term employment contract was terminated or engaged in temporary and occasional jobs, as well as the founders of companies when they shut down their entrepreneurial activities.
The right is exercised in proportion to the time the person was registered for insurance – at least three months, and a maximum of one year. Also, that right can be exercised for two years if the person fulfills some of the conditions for retirement in that period.
Martinovic also pointed out that the number of unemployed persons in the NES records is identical to that in August last year and that there are no major changes. The stability on the labor market is also shown by the fact that the contributions for compulsory social insurance are realized at the same level as in this period last year, the director of the National Employment Service added.
– There is stability on the labor market thanks to the measures implemented by the Government of Serbia, and we hope that it will remain so when the measures take effect. I believe that this situation on the labor market will be maintained until the end of the year, and that the economy will get used to doing business and working in such circumstances – says Martinovic.
Martinovic also mentioned that the competition for professional practice programs was completed at the beginning of August, considering that the planned quota was fulfilled, and between four and five thousand people will be included in the programs. The director of the NES also reminded of the “My first salary” program, pointing out that it gives young people without work experience the opportunity to do an internship with an employer in order to acquire knowledge, skills and competencies for work and thus increase their employment opportunities.
– It is planned to include 10,000 young people in that program – Martinovic added, Srbija Danas reports.
