Minister of Labor Heil announces extension of the simplified access rules for short-time work benefits until the end of June. The ordinance has already passed the departmental vote and is to be decided by the cabinet on Wednesday.
The simplified access rules for short-time work benefits are to be extended until the end of June 2023 due to the energy crisis. This emerges from a draft of the Federal Ministry of Labor for the regulation on extended access to short-time work benefits, which is available to the editorial network Germany (RND).
The ordinance is expected to be adopted next week. “With this ordinance, the access simplifications for the payment of short-time work benefits and the opening of short-time work benefits for temporary workers will be extended until June 30, 2023,” says the draft. The need to extend the access facilitation arises “from the effects of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine on economic development and the labor market in Germany”.
Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) told the RND: “Despite the high burdens that the German economy has to shoulder at the same time, the situation on the labor market remains stable. We will continue to stand by the companies and employees in these difficult times,” he said. “That’s why we are now extending easier access to short-time work benefits until June 30, 2023.”
Temporary workers would also continue to benefit from this, said Heil. “In this way we are giving clear perspectives through the winter. Short-time work has been a stable bridge over a deep economic valley in recent months. This bridge is still carrying,” he emphasized. “You can rely on that.”
The simplified access was decided during the pandemic and extended several times – most recently until the end of 2022. According to the Federal Government, it should still be sufficient for the application until the middle of next year if at least ten percent of the employees are affected by loss of work (normally one third). . In addition, employees should still not have to build up any minus hours before they can receive short-time work benefits. Temporary workers should also be able to continue to receive short-time work benefits.
