Corona obliges Flemish unemployed to answer the phone

Unemployed people in Flanders will soon need to pick up the phone if the regional unemployment service contacts them. If they refuse guidance via phone or video call, this can be seen as a refusal to search for a job.

In Belgium, contrary to most countries with an unemployment insurance, there’s no time limit to receiving an allowance. Whereas in other countries the allowance is no longer paid after 2-3 years, in Belgium such an automatic end doesn’t exist.

This is not to say there are no conditions. To the contrary the conditions have become stricter and stricter since several years. The most important condition is that the unemployed person is willing to work and thus willing to accept suited jobs or trainings.

It’s up to the regional unemployment service VDAB to help unemployed find such an opportunity. And if the unemployed refuses, the VDAB will give a warning or a sanction. This happened 24.000 times last year, on a total of less than 200.000 unemployed. The sanction can be a suspension of the payment of the allowance.

Before corona, most talks between a VDAB-consultant and an unemployed were face-to-face. Today, phone and video calls are important instruments. However, from a legal point, until now, a sanction can only be given in case of refusals of or during face-to-face meetings. Regional minister for work Hilde Crevits will soon change this rule.

VDAB states nothing is wrong with digital contact, up to 90 percent of the people looking for a job are happy with this kind of service.

(foto ​ c Belga)