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16,900 young people soon to lose benefits
According to an estimate by the National Employment Office (RVA/ONEM), as of January 1, 2015, around 16,900 Belgian young people could lose their right to the integration allowance, reports De Standaard.
Young people who graduate from high school or university without finding a job right away are entitled to an integration allowance until they do find work. The previous government under Elio Di Rupo introduced a restriction of the right to such benefits and limited it to three years. After that time, those with little or no work experience may lose the benefit.
The rule has become even stricter under the current government, with employment minister Kris Peeters (CD&V) changing the maximum age to 25 years and requiring those under 21 to have at least completed a high school diploma.
A recent estimate by RVA/ONEM shows that the new, stricter measure could apply to as many as 16,900 young people.
Comments
NOBODY has ANY need to stay unemployed for three years if they are capable of getting out of bed, not even in Belgium. People unemployed for three years either have something very wrong with them or more likely, just prefer life on benefits.
Measures like this are long over due and do not go far enough.
I do not feel sorry for anyone who graduates from university/high school and says he/she cannot find a job. How about working in a cafe, restaurant, trying to find an unpaid internship, anything to get some kind of work experience. Offering cash to graduates is telling them: you have months or years to enjoy yourself before actually getting a job. The state needs to get rid of all allocation familial -- monthly payments to millions of people whose "children" are 26 and under who are at school or doing nothing. I can see a ceiling of perhaps 25000 euros/month a payment for each child but certainly no one else should receive such cash. It adds up to something like 20.000 euros per child for the first 18 years it is provided. No wonder Belgium has financial difficulties. CUT BACK ON BENEFITS AND PEOPLE WILL FIND A WAY TO WORK.
@Mikek1 -- Measures may be long overdue but - considering you do not give 2 hoots for this country - what's is it to you, anyway? All very wrong? Put it right then, Uncle Scrooge!
Youth unemployment is a harsh reality. Already, tens of thousands of young people are going independent (as in opening their own business) without any money and with even less experience just to have an occupation and maybe a one in a million chances to make something of themselves. I fear that 90% of them (or more) will go bankrupt within 12 to 36 months and why? because they never got a real chance to start off on the right foot. Also, we should all (including the government), be ashamed to propose to young people to take up meaningless jobs just to survive (Mikek1300gt, SALSADANCER etc). We should all help them, in any way possible, to spread their wings and put to good use (for society) all their energy, drive and aspirations. So stop suggesting unpaid labor (=slavery) and trivial jobs as a way out. The end result will be both financially and socially much worse than guarantying them an income for life!