Wage support sought for over 10,000 employees on first day of scheme

A total of 1,640 employers in Estonia have submitted an application for employee wage support for over 10,000 employees in the first 24 hours of an Unemployment Insurance Fund initiative, aimed at supporting companies whose survival is directly endangered by the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting emergency situation declared by the government.
Meelis Pavel, Unemployment Insurance Fund board chair, told ERR's Tõnu Karjats Tuesday that the 1,640 applications concern over 10,000 employees and their salaries.
The fund opened up for applications via its self-service portal on Monday.
As reported on ERR News, the fund covers up to 70 percent of an employee's average wage over the preceding 12 months, to a maximum of €1,000 per month, gross, and no lower than the current minimum wage (€584 per month), for a maximum of two months. Employers themselves must provide the remaining 30 percent of salaries.
Should employers make a recipient of the aid redundant during that period, they are obliged to return the paid compensation to the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte