Díaz wants to grant unemployment only with a "responsible declaration" from the affected person and then have the Treasury verify

The Ministry of Labor wants to modify the system by which it is currently reviewed whether an unemployed person has the right to receive an unemployment benefit, once his benefit has been exhausted, depending on his income and family responsibilities, so that now the unemployed person will make a ” responsible declaration” in which he will report the income that he and his family have received in the last month. The following year, the Tax Agency will review in their personal income tax return whether what was declared was true and the unemployed person was entitled to the subsidy and, if not, they will have to return everything collected.

This appears in the draft Royal Decree-Law on Simplification and Improvement of the Assistance Level of Unemployment Protection, a 41-page draft prepared by the ministry headed by Yolanda Díaz to which EL MUNDO has had access, which is included in article 275.4. that “for the purposes of determining whether the requirements of lack of income or family responsibilities are met, in the application for initial registration, resumption and extensions of the subsidy, the interested party will sign a responsible declaration in which they must record all the income and income obtained during the previous calendar month both by him and, where applicable, by the rest of the members of his family unit. Said declaration will later be contrasted with the data contained in your tax returns.”

In this way, the responsibility of analyzing their income and that of their family will fall on the unemployed, while the Administration will accept this declaration as good and will only verify it afterwards.. If after a year the Treasury confirms that there has been concealment of income (voluntary or involuntary) – in the registration or in any of the renewals – this will entail the return of the amount unduly received and the corresponding sanctions, although these will be more lax than in the initial norm.

The Ministry of Labor includes many other changes in the unemployment protection system, in addition to those already published regarding the duration of the subsidies and the increase in their amount, a position completely opposite to that proposed by the Ministry of Economy and that It has cost the Government the first controversy after the investiture.

It includes, for example, the increase in the number of groups that will be covered by the subsidy.. It will not only be extended to those under 45 years of age without family responsibilities (as long as they have exhausted the benefit and it has lasted at least 360 days) and to all temporary agricultural workers, but those workers who have not made six contributions will also be entitled. months, according to the draft standard.

“The coverage of the level of assistance is expanded in some age groups previously excluded, by allowing access to those under 45 years of age without family responsibilities as long as they have exhausted a contributory benefit of 360 days, to those who can prove contributions periods of less than six months even if lack family responsibilities and temporary agricultural workers,” they point out..

Those who do not reach six months of contributions will have to have at least three jobs. Those who have contributed for three months will be entitled to a three-month subsidy; Those who have contributed four months will receive the subsidy for four months; Those of five, five, and those who have contributed for six months will receive the subsidy for half a year unless they prove family responsibilities, in which case they will be able to receive it for up to 21 months (one year and 9 months).. If when accessing the subsidy they did not have family responsibilities but they arrive in the first year since it was approved, it may be recognized a posteriori. “In all cases the subsidy will be recognized for quarterly periods, extendable until the maximum duration is exhausted,” they point out.

To date, the unemployed who were collecting both the contributory unemployment benefit (to which they were entitled for the period of contributions) and the subsidy (for cases in which there was no right or the benefit had already been exhausted) could not leave. abroad occasionally unless it was for less than 15 days. Labor, however, wants to extend this period up to one month.

Cross-border workers

Another novelty that the Ministry of Labor intends to approve is to provide coverage for cross-border employees who reside in Morocco and have worked in Ceuta and Melilla, who would be entitled to benefits if the decree goes ahead.

“Workers residing in the Kingdom of Morocco who have carried out their last employment relationship in the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, covered by work authorization for cross-border workers, may access unemployment protection at a contributory level without the need to prove residence in Spain, provided that they meet all the requirements established in the applicable legislation and in the conditions established by regulation”, includes the third additional provision of the standard.

The Ministry explains that this would comply with the Comprehensive Socioeconomic Development Plans of the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, which included the commitment to implement regulatory modifications during the year 2023 that would provide protection to this group of workers.. The specific conditions under which they can access this protection will be regulated in a regulation.

Unemployment statistics will not be cleaned

Unlike what happens in most European countries, in Spain it is mandatory to be listed as unemployed on the lists of the State Public Employment Service (Sepe) to be able to collect the unemployment benefit or subsidy, even if at a time punctually the unemployed person is not willing or does not want to work.

Some experts consulted by this medium have pointed out on occasion that it would be convenient to clean up the statistics and have only those who are really looking for a job count as unemployed.. However, the Ministry of Labor rules it out, since it also considers that it would be a deceitful way to lower unemployment..

“The right to receive unemployment benefits will be suspended by the managing entity (…) during the periods in which the beneficiaries are not registered as job seekers in the competent public employment service,” they state in their articles..