Only a third of applications for unemployment allowance accepted during pandemic

An employment agency office in Diyarbakır. (Photo: Tigris Haber)

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Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Dr. Ali Şeker has submitted a parliamentary question concerning the unemployment fund, pointing out the low rate of acceptance of unemployment benefit applications.

While more than half of the 1.9 million applications were accepted in 2019, only 33.7 percent of the 1.5 million applications were approved in 2020, he said, citing Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) data.

But the money in the Unemployment Fund decreased anyway, he noted in the motion addressed to the Minister of Family, Labor and Social Services, Zehma Zümrüt Selçuk.

While the fund had 129,4 billion lira (18.5 billion USD) as of May 6, 2020, it declined to 97.6 billion lira (13.9 billion USD) as of February 9, Şeker noted.

He asked the minister what payments were made from the fund other than unemployment allowances.

The MP also asked why the rate of acceptance was reduced and what measures the government would take in the face of a serious increase in unemployment after the lift of the layoff ban.

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(HA/VK)