Covid-19 france: aid announced for winter seasonal workers

THE WORK MINISTER HAS ANNOUNCED FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR 300,000 PEOPLE AFFECTED BY JOB INSECURITY THIS WINTER DUE TO COVID-19 Work Minister Elisabeth Borne has announced an “exceptional”

financial aid package that will help 300,000 people affected by employment insecurity this winter as a result of the health crisis. Ms Borne made the announcement in an interview with news

source _LES ECHOS_, released today (November 26), and also spoke at a press conference this morning. She said the aid package would target people such as seasonal workers, who no longer have

work over the winter season, but who had worked a “significant amount, even if they had alternated between periods of work and unemployment” before the health crisis began. In practice,

this means that people who worked more than 60% of the time in 2019 will be guaranteed funds of €900 per month over the next four months. Almost a quarter of the funds will be allocated to

700,000 young people, and money will be distributed by unemployment service Pôle emploi. SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE Ms Borne also spoke about other measures available for young people

struggling to find jobs, including aid of up to €550 per month along with practical support such as help finding internships. The plan to help young people enter the job market – operating

under the name _un jeune, une solution_ (one young person, one solution) – has been in operation since July 2020. Ms Borne said it was “working very well” with 128,000 businesses having

claimed a financial bonus of €4,000 for hiring a young person and 172,000 for hiring a young apprentice (€5,000 for someone under 18, and €8,000 for someone over 18). Ms Borne also said that

businesses closed due to Covid-19, such as restaurants, would continue to receive partial unemployment benefits paid by the state, and said employees in all sectors should continue to work

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