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Support Plan for the Unemployed (Plan d'accompagnement pour les chômeurs) - Belgium
Source: Federal Government of Belgium
The Support Plan for the unemployed serves two aims: long-term jobseekers are to be give more intensive support and their labour market situation improved at the moment when their jobsearch motivation appears to be decreasing; and the availability to the labour market of unemployed persons with entitlement to benefits is to be verified more closely.
The Support Plan is based on the following agreements:
All persons aged under 46 years who are fully unemployed, are in receipt of unemployment benefits, are commencing their tenth month of unemployment and are not in possession of a school-leaving certificate leading to further education are obliged to participate in the Support Plan. Refusal to participate has repercussions on their entitlement to unemployment benefits.
The regional authorities (FOREM, VDAB and ORBEM) make monthly checks to see which unemployed persons fulfil the above requirements. These are then required to report at the responsible regional employment authority.
In a primary support phase, lasting about one month, the responsible regional employment authority draws up a diagnosis of the situation of the respective unemployed person and informs the latter on his possibilities for reintegration into the job market. At the end of this first month, a more concrete plan of action containing details of age, personal, social and vocational skills of the person concerned is discussed and agreed upon; this is drawn up in writing in the form of a support contract and consists of orientation, instruction, vocational training, placement and continuous evaluation measures for the benefit of the unemployed person.
The way in which the unemployed person has implemented his plan of action is evaluated by the regional employment office around four months after the conclusion of the support contract. For unemployed persons who have successfully participated in the Support Plan (i.e. who have not suspended its implementation or who have not intentionally caused the plan to fail), the time limit for the expiry of entitlement to benefit due to long-term unemployment is extended by 6 months, compared with the corresponding normal time limit in force for unemployed persons who have not participated. Unemployed persons who belong to the group of individuals who are obliged to participate in the Support Plan and who refuse to participate in the plan will lose their entitlement to unemployment benefit and, as of recently, must provide proof of having worked the required number of days for entitlement to unemployment benefit. On the other hand, an unemployed person can also lose his entitlement to unemployment benefit during the implementation of the plan of action if, for example, he fails to report to an employer to whom he has been sent on the instructions of the placement service. Finally, this entitlement can be withdrawn for a minimum period of 26 weeks and a maximum period of 52 weeks if he suspends participation in the Support Plan or is responsible for the failure of the Plan.
The federal and regional governments have reserved a number of employment schemes and a share of the recruitment subsidies for unemployed persons who have concluded a support contract.
The Support Plan is financed by an employer contribution equal to 0.05% of the wage bill. It should be added that the resources available from the Employment Fund have also been used to finance support for the unemployed since 1.2.1995. These funds consist of the 0.10% contribution paid by employers in 1997 and 1998 who were not party to a collective agreement benefiting risk groups.
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