Useful Info

As part of the employment insurance program, unemployment benefits are provided to workers and their families for a certain period in case of job loss to ensure living stability and smooth job search activities. Unemployment benefits stipulated in the Employment Insurance Act are divided into job-seeking allowance and job placement promotion allowance. Job-seeking allowance can be received if a worker who has worked for 180 days or more out of the 18 months prior to unemployment at a workplace enrolled in employment insurance is forced to retire against their will due to company closure, bankruptcy, staff reduction, etc. Those who voluntarily retire for reasons such as changing jobs are not eligible for job-seeking allowance. Job-seeking allowance is paid at 50% of the average wage before unemployment for 90 to 240 days, depending on the age at the time of retirement and the insurance subscription period. Job placement promotion allowances include early re-employment bonus, vocational training allowance, wide-area job search expense, relocation expense, etc. The early re-employment bonus is paid at 50% of the job-seeking allowance amount that could be received for the remaining period when a qualified recipient re-employs after leaving more than half of the eligible benefit days. Vocational training allowance is paid for the period of receiving vocational training designated by the head of a vocational stability institution when a qualified recipient undergoes such training. Wide-area job search expense is paid for accommodation and transportation costs, etc., when a qualified recipient engages in job search activities at a company located 50 km or more away from their residence based on an introduction from a vocational stability institution. Relocation expense is paid according to the relocation distance and the number of accompanying family members when a qualified recipient moves their residence to take up employment or to receive vocational training designated by the head of a vocational stability institution.