European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
Eurofound's ERM database on restructuring-related legal regulations provides information on regulations in the Member States of the European Union and Norway which are explicitly or implicitly linked to anticipating and managing change.
Social welfare consolidation 2005 act: Chapter 12, sections 62-68; all of S.I. 440/2014 and S.I. 441/2014; Social welfare, pensions and civil registration act 2018 articles no. 8-10-11
Intreo is the jobseeker public service that makes stronger links between unemployment benefit receipt and job activation. Employees who have become redundant are entitled to unemployment benefit and support, such as jobseeking assistance and learning and upskilling, subject to the following conditions:
The redundant employee must have at least one year of state qualifying contributions made. A person seeking unemployment benefit must re-apply/re-qualify for such benefit after 156 days in receipt of the benefit.
If a benefit seekers is aged under 55 and received a redundancy payment of more than €50,000, he or she is disqualified from claiming jobseeker's benefit for a certain period of time. Any period of disqualification is subtracted from the total jobseeker's benefit entitlement. The disqualification periods are:
| Value | Amount of time |
|---|---|
| €50,000.01 - €55,000 | 1 week |
| €55,000.01 - €60,000 | 2 weeks |
| €60,000.01 - €65,000 | 3 weeks |
| €65,000.01 - €70,000 | 4 weeks |
| €70,000.01 - €75,000 | 5 weeks |
| €75,000.01 - €80,000 | 6 weeks |
| €80,000.01 - €85,000 | 7 weeks |
| €85,000.01 - €90,000 | 8 weeks |
| €90,000.01 and over | 9 weeks |
Jobseeker's Benefit rates, as of July 2023, are:
| Average weekly earnings | Personal rate | Increase for a qualified adult | Increase for a qualified child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than €150 | €98.70 | €94.50 | Child aged under 12 |
| €42 (full rate), €21 (half rate) | |||
| Child aged 12 and over | |||
| €50 (full rate), €25 (half rate) | |||
| €150 - €219.99 | €141.90 | ||
| €220 - €299.99 | €172.30 | ||
| €300 or more | €220.00 | €146 |
In 2019 Jobseeker's Benefit was made available to self-employed workers.
Jobseeker's Benefit is available for a 9-month duration for self-employed persons with more than 260 social insurance contributions, and for a 6-month period for self-employed persons with fewer than 260 contributions. Self-employed persons are also able to access the temporary COVID-19 pandemic unemployment payment.
The inclusion of self-employed persons to access Jobseekers' Benefit (and the temporary COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment) is recognition of the significant number of self-employed persons in Ireland (around 15%) and that, given the vulnerability of having reduced work, or out of work completely, there is a need to encompass this cohort of workers who have made social insurance contributions but who could not avail of the social protection safety net.
Eurofound (2015), Ireland: Redundant employees entitlement to public support, Restructuring legislation database, Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/legislationdb/redundant-employees-entitlement-to-public-support/ireland
Between the end of 2022 and the first half of 2023, almost 300,000 employees working for ‘big tech’ companies were laid off across the world, making headlines for months in global media. This development has been a shock, considering the high numbers of jobs in well-known tech corporations with a reputation for offering good working conditions and well-paid positions.
The retail banking sector is fertile ground for studying the impacts of digitalisation on work and employment. Financial services are increasingly provided online, without the intermediary of customer-facing institutions. Many banks in the sector have been undergoing serial restructuring since the global financial crisis, and it is one of the few service sectors with stagnant or declining employment.
Since 2011, the Restructuring support instruments database of the EU PolicyWatch has been collecting information on measures that assist companies and workers to anticipate and manage restructuring. This article looks at measures in the database aimed at supporting employees and employers during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022).
Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor database reveals the impact of the energy crisis on employment in the EU. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, energy prices have hit record highs. The European Commission imposed sanctions and limitations on the import of oil and gas from Russia, which has reacted by reneging on supply commitments to many Member States.
