More than 1,700 businesses have already benefited from the temporary economic unemployment system.
They have either used it because of an emergency or for economic reasons caused by the Coronavirus.
The request is for a maximum of 31,000 employees, Employment minister Nathalie Muylle announced on Saturday when appearing on VRT television program “De markt.”
“Around a hundred businesses and 1,500 employees had used the temporary economic unemployment system in the middle of the week,” the minister said.
“Now we’re up to 31,000 employees in 1,700 businesses. A third of the requests have already been approved. Two thirds were submitted very recently. It is mostly the tourism and catering sectors that are using this system,” Muylle said.
However, this does not mean that all of the 31,000 people that requested it are affected by temporary economic unemployment.
“We will only know exactly how many people are temporarily without a job next month, when the allocations are handed out.”
A business might not use the system just because it can. Temporary economic unemployment only takes effect when the business activates it.
The Brussels Times
