Government paid UAH 15.8B worth of unemployment benefits since quarantine began

The government has paid UAH 15.8 billion worth of unemployment benefits to Ukrainians since the beginning of the coronavirus quarantine.

Economy, Trade and Agriculture Development Minister Ihor Petrashko said this during the All-Ukrainian Forum "Ukraine 30. Coronavirus: Challenges and Responses" in Kyiv on February 9, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“A total amount of unemployment benefits has reached UAH 15.8 billion. Payments are carried out on time. More than 600,000 people have been employed through the employment centers,” he said.

As reported by Ukrinform, since the introduction of quarantine in Ukraine, on March 12, 2020, UAH 11.5 billion worth of unemployment benefits had already been paid to those registered at employment centers. To financially support small and medium-sized businesses, the government allocated UAH 2.8 billion from the COVID-19 Response Fund for the partial unemployment benefits program.

Due to the increase in the subsistence level for able-bodied individuals from December 1, 2020, the maximum amount of unemployment benefits has grown to UAH 9,080 per month, whereas the minimum amount of unemployment benefits has remained unchanged.

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