Self-employed persons, firm owners may get access to unemployment services
A proposal has been forwarded to the government by the Estonian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (EVEA), seeking to enable access to the unemployment insurance system for self-employed persons as well as company owners and leaders working in their enterprise.
"EVEA made a proposal to the Ministry of Social Affairs to include self-employed persons and members of company managing bodies in the unemployment insurance system already before the crisis on March 4," president of the association Heiki Rits said.
The crisis has emphasized the urgency of the problem, and from the first day thereof, EVEA has been seeking access to the unemployment insurance system to be granted for self-employed persons and company owners working in their own business, Rits noted.
EVEA on Wednesday sent to the Ministry of Social Affairs its proposals for amending the Unemployment Insurance Act accordingly.
The ministry informed the association that the supervisory board of the Unemployment Insurance Fund had approved in principle the unemployment insurance reform on Wednesday and that the ministry had made a proposal to the government to amend the Labor Market Services and Benefits Act as well as the Unemployment Insurance Act to also include self-employed persons and members of company management and supervisory bodies in the unemployment insurance system.
EVEA hopes for the rapid approval of the bill of amendments by the government and the Riigikogu. The association said that temporary emergency resolution should also be provided by the government to those entrepreneurs and company management board members who are not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits under current regulation.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski