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| Europe | |
| France Slashes Unemployment Benefits | |
| 2004-01-08 | |
| EFL French President Jacques Chirac is vowing to make 2004 the Year of Employment. And new rules on unemployment that cut benefits dramatically and attempt to get the chronically unemployed back to work are part of the plan. For starters, unemployment benefits will be limited to 22 months instead of 30. This change will effect nearly 200,000 people. Evelyne Zylbermann is one of thos hit by the reforms. Until now, she received â¬1,400 ($1,780) of unemployment benefits per month. Starting this month that will be cut to â¬400 per month in emergency benefits. âI donât know what I should do,â Zylbermann told Deutsche Welle. âI have rent and insurance to pay and a child to feed. What am I supposed to do, I donât know.â
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| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #12 Re the "what am I supposed to do? lady": "30 months" is enough time to either get a job or train for employment. In Canada, on average it takes job seekers under 40, less than 2 months to find work. Its over 4 months for over 40s, who normally would have more fall back savings. Therefore, I defend only short term, fully funded employment insurance plans. |
| Posted by: Wasserman 2004-1-8 10:49:44 PM |
| #11 TGA- "Germany's biggest problems are not taxes...but the rampant contributions to social security." What's the difference between 'taxes' and 'contributions to social security'? Sounds like the same thing, just with different names. Maybe if you add the 'taxes' with the 'contributions' you end up paying more than Americans? |
| Posted by: Les Nessman 2004-1-8 9:00:27 PM |
| #10 I got a paper route when I was 13-yrs-old (I am 42 now) and have worked ever since. The longest period of time I was without work was two months. How do you NOT work for 30 months? I am such a sap. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-1-8 6:53:41 PM |
| #9 Edited for Length Edited for Laffs Sometimes it's Extremely Friggin' Long... |
| Posted by: Fred 2004-1-8 5:37:22 PM |
| #8 What does the "EFL" at the beginning of the article mean? Sorry, I'm a new reader. :( |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2004-1-8 5:23:33 PM |
| #7 Sure AP, of course we don't know what wage she made before. I think the new regulations are curbing abuse. In the U.S. "job mobility" is higher than in Europe. But if it takes longer than a year to work in an adequate position it's time to adapt to the new and harsher reality of your life, move into a cheaper apartment and start all over. The state has every interest that someone who loses a well paid job (often just company failure) doesn't fall into a dark hole and ruin his chances to get another well paid job. That's the idea of paying adequate unemployment benefit for a while (60-67% of your last income after taxes). And as I said, you pay through the nose for it anyway. Germany's biggest problems are not taxes (the average worker or employee pays less taxes than in the U.S.) but the rampant contributions to social security. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-1-8 4:45:41 PM |
| #6 Appreciate the details, TGA. I was just floored by the 30 months she got at that ridiculous rate. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-1-8 4:29:07 PM |
| #5 âI donât know what I should do,â Zylbermann told Deutsche Welle. âI have rent and insurance to pay and a child to feed. What am I supposed to do, I donât know.â Well, you could try finding a f*****g job. |
| Posted by: Cheddarhead 2004-1-8 4:23:53 PM |
| #4 Alaska Paul, a little caveat: People pay a hefty compulsory unemployment insurance every month when they work. In Germany, the more you earn, the higher the insurance. The idea is that people can maintain their social standard if they lose their job until they find a new one. It works with most people who only claim the benefit for a few months. How long the benefit is paid depends on how long you have worked (and contributed to the insurance). So you are not really living at the expenses of society if you don't abuse the system. Germany will limit full unemployment benefit to 12 months, after that, you only get social aid (which is far less and just the bare minimum to survive). After 12 months you will also be required to take any reasonable job you can get or you lose payments. But in France you would get the 30 months already if you only worked 2 years in a row, which of course is ridiculous. Medicare is not free btw, you pay a hefty (compulsory) insurance for it as well. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-1-8 4:19:43 PM |
| #3 $1780/month! For 30 MONTHS of unemployment. That is 2.5 years. It pays to sit on ones ass in France while one finds oneself. Pity the poor blighters that have to work their asses off to support a whole group like this. I am speechless...I am without speech. Jeeze Louise! No wonder the country is going to the muts. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-1-8 3:57:09 PM |
| #2 So, so, so very sad. What kind of insurance does she need to keep up? Free Med... retirement provided by the state? Ah! Yes. Fashion insurance, of course. Correct me if I'm wrong. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-1-8 3:45:55 PM |
| #1 If unemployed people strike, can you tell the difference? |
| Posted by: BH 2004-1-8 3:35:36 PM |