Page 29 - UKRRptDec20

4.4 ​Labour and income
4.4.1​ Labour market, unemployment dynamics
Since the beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) quarantine, almost UAH14bn ($488mn) has been paid to persons eligible for unemployment or partial unemployment benefits in Ukraine, according to the Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture.
Starting from March 12, 2020, a total of UAH11.5bn of unemployment benefits has been paid to those registered at employment centres. There are no unemployment benefits arrears, the ministry reported.
The ministry added that to financially support small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), the government has allocated UAH2.8bn from the COVID-19 Response Fund for the partial unemployment benefits programme, of which UAH2.5bn has already been financed.
On October 28, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution on the allocation of additional funds for the Compulsory State Social Insurance Fund of Ukraine to support citizens who lost their jobs during the coronavirus quarantine. Almost UAH1.28bn was redistributed from the COVID-19 Response Fund. In particular, almost UAH1.2mn was allocated to ensure timely payment of unemployment benefits, and UAH80mn to provide partial unemployment benefits for the period of quarantine.
29​ UKRAINE Country Report​ December 2020 ​ ​www.intellinews.com