What can the unemployed expect in 2021?

The last two years have been difficult for the labor market. According to Rosstat, at the end of November 2021 - January 2021, the number of unemployed people reached 4.46 million people, and this figure corresponds to an unemployment rate of 5.9%. The maximum number of unemployed people during the pandemic was recorded in August 2021 - 4.8 million people (6.4%).

But experts believe that in 2021 we should expect an improvement in the situation on the labor market, as the economy will gradually recover. At the same time, the government decided to extend measures to support the unemployed until the end of this year.

How the procedure for registering the unemployed has been simplified
Unemployment benefit amount in 2021
Expanding opportunities to receive maximum benefits
Who is considered unemployed?
An individual entrepreneur has become unemployed: what benefits can he count on?
Duration of unemployment benefit payment
How to register as unemployed: algorithm of actions

How the procedure for registering the unemployed has been simplified

Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated July 30, 2021 No. 1278 extended the validity of temporary rules for registering the unemployed. The simplified procedure was approved until December 31, 2021. It is described in Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated April 8, 2020 No. 460.

The new regulations freed citizens who lost their jobs from two difficulties:

No need to personally contact employment services. You can register remotely - to do this, you need to submit the appropriate application through the “Work in Russia” portal. Unemployment benefits can also be applied for through your personal account on the government services portal.
No need to collect a package of documents. The information required to assign benefits is received automatically.

Rights of an unemployed citizen

After registering with the employment service, a citizen has the right to:

Choose a new job in the following ways:
through mediation in this matter of state employment authorities (free of charge);
with the help of other organizations that facilitate job searches.
Receive free information from employment authorities (for example, about available vacancies or current training courses).
Take voluntary participation in paid public works.
Receive free consultation or vocational guidance services in order to choose a field of activity or further employment.
Take advantage of professional training opportunities.
Receive the following services free of charge upon referral from the employment service:
psychological support;
training;
retraining.
Receive assistance in starting your own business. In this case, we are talking about a one-time receipt of the entire amount of the benefit for starting a business. To do this, it is necessary to draw up and submit to the commission for consideration a business plan that reflects the main ideas of the planned business.

Both citizens who have not previously worked (for example, former students) and applicants with a certain amount of experience can take advantage of these rights.

At the same time, the opportunity for training or retraining is also available to each of them.

Unemployment benefit amount in 2021

The maximum amount in 2021 was 12,130 rubles, and the minimum was 1,500 rubles. Such amounts are indicated in Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated December 31, 2020 No. 2393.

The benefit is accrued from the first day the citizen is recognized as unemployed. The size of the amount depends on earnings at your last place of work, but no matter how high it may be, the maximum you can count on is 12,130 rubles.

Period	% of average earnings at last place of work	Limit
first three months	75 %	no more than 12,130 rub.
next three months	60 %	no more than 5,000 rub.

For pre-retirees, the minimum benefit amount is 1,500 rubles, the maximum is 12,130 rubles.

But the largest amount of benefits is provided for orphans and children without parental care who are looking for work for the first time. They can count on an amount equal to the average salary in the region. The benefit for them is paid for six months. After this, the amount is reduced to the amount of the minimum benefit amount, increased by the size of the regional coefficient on a general basis.

There are several factors that influence the exact benefit amount:

reason for registration,
date of dismissal,
period of work within a year before registration,
reasons for job loss,
average earnings at last place of work.

Expanding opportunities to receive maximum benefits

Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated December 31, 2020 No. 2393 adjusted the rules for paying maximum unemployment benefits. The changes will affect such categories of citizens as those dismissed due to the liquidation of an organization or staff reduction, women on leave due to the birth of a child.

Employee accounting, payroll, sick leave, vacation pay, taxes and contributions

The amendments resolved controversial issues related to the calculation of benefits in situations where the beginning of the payment period is shifted or the period is interrupted. In such situations, maximum benefits will be accrued not in the first three months from the date a person is declared unemployed, but for three months in general, regardless of transfers and breaks.

A person lost his job due to the liquidation of an enterprise or staff reduction. In the first three months, instead of benefits, he is entitled to the average salary at his previous place of work. After this, he will no longer be able to claim the maximum benefit amount. According to the new rules, for such citizens the deadline for payment of benefits is postponed. They will be accrued the maximum amount of benefits from the fourth to sixth months of unemployment, and then 60% of earnings, but not more than 5,000 rubles.
A pregnant woman lost her job. If the period of the first three months of receiving the maximum unemployment benefit overlaps with the period of payment of temporary disability benefits due to pregnancy and childbirth, then the unemployment benefit is transferred to a later date.
During the payment of the maximum allowance, a person is called up for military training. During this period, he is on state support, so other social support measures for him are cancelled. He will continue to receive the maximum benefit after returning from training camp.

Who is considered unemployed?

The employment law (RF Law of April 19, 1991 No. 1032-I) specifies that able-bodied citizens without work and earnings who are registered with the employment service, are looking for work and are ready to start work are considered unemployed.

Current individual entrepreneurs, even if they have no income, founders of companies and members of peasant farms cannot apply for unemployment benefits. Also, the category of unemployed does not include those who receive payments under civil law contracts, full-time students (Article 2 of the Law of the Russian Federation of April 19, 1991 No. 1032-I).

In accordance with the Federal Law “On Employment in the Russian Federation,” the state guarantees unemployed citizens:

— The right to choose a place of work through the employment service or by directly contacting the employer;

— The right to free consultation, information and services related to vocational guidance;

— The right to psychological support;

— The right to vocational training, retraining and advanced training as directed by the employment service;

— The right to professional activity outside the territory of the Russian Federation.

Unemployed citizens are obliged:

- actively look for work (including regularly visiting the information room between mandatory (assigned at least 2 times a month) re-registrations).

— comply with the conditions and terms of re-registration as an unemployed person;

- visit the employer on the issued work assignment within 3 working days from the date of receipt of the assignment (in this case, the first day of this period is considered to be the working day following the day the work assignment is issued);

- inform the employment center about your employment (INCLUDING INDEPENDENT, TEMPORARY, SEASONAL, UNDER A CIVIL AGREEMENT, etc.), about registration of an individual entrepreneur, about becoming one of the founders of organizations and about other forms of employment, assignment of a pension, etc. .d.

REMEMBER:

Simultaneous receipt of unemployment benefits and income from labor or other income-generating activities, even temporary (with the exception of wages received from participation in public works without being deregistered as unemployed), is fraud and is punishable by law!

Unemployed citizens who did not appear for re-registration as unemployed within the time period established by the employment center may present supporting documents to confirm valid reasons for non-appearance (for example: a certificate of incapacity for work; a summons to undergo a medical examination when conscripted for military service, for military training, involvement in events, related to preparation for military service; documents confirming the death of close relatives (death certificate and documents confirming relationship); documents confirming departure from the place of permanent residence in connection with training in organizations engaged in educational activities, in full-time and part-time forms of education and other documents required by law).

In order to avoid violation of the re-registration deadlines, the citizen’s appearance must take place no later than the working day following the end of the period for which the supporting document was submitted

Payment of unemployment benefits may be suspended for up to 3 months. in cases:

refusal during the period of unemployment from 2 options for suitable work;
refusal, after a 3-month period of unemployment, to participate in paid public works or to send for training by the employment service bodies citizens seeking work for the first time (who have not previously worked) and who do not have qualifications, seeking to resume working activity after a long (more than one year) ) break;
the appearance of an unemployed person for re-registration in a state of intoxication caused by the use of alcohol, drugs or other intoxicating substances;
dismissal from the last place of work (service) for violation of labor discipline and other guilty actions provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation, as well as expulsion of a citizen sent for training by the employment service from the place of training for guilty actions;
violation by an unemployed person without good reason of the conditions and terms of his re-registration as an unemployed person (suspension of payment of unemployment benefits is carried out from the day following the day of the last appearance of the unemployed person for re-registration);
unauthorized termination by a citizen of training in the direction of the employment service.

The period for which the payment of unemployment benefits is suspended is counted towards the total period of payment of unemployment benefits.

The amount of unemployment benefit may be reduced by 25% for up to 1 month in the following cases:

FAILURE to appear without good reason for employment negotiations with the employer within 3 working days from the date of referral by the employment center;
REFUSAL, without good reason, to appear at the employment service to receive a referral to work (training).

Payment of unemployment benefits is not made during the periods:

maternity leave;
departure of an unemployed person from his place of permanent residence in connection with training in professional educational organizations, educational organizations of higher education and organizations of additional professional education on part-time or part-time basis
calling up the unemployed for military training, involving them in activities related to preparation for military service and the performance of government duties.

These periods do not count towards the total period of payment of unemployment benefits and extend it.

Payment of unemployment benefits is terminated with simultaneous deregistration as unemployed in the following cases:

recognition of a citizen as employed on the grounds provided for in Article 2 of the Employment Law;
undergoing vocational training or receiving additional vocational education in the direction of the employment service with the payment of a scholarship;
long-term (more than a month) absence of an unemployed person from the employment service without good reason;
moving or relocating an unemployed person to another area;
attempts to obtain or receive unemployment benefits fraudulently;
sentencing a person receiving unemployment benefits to correctional labor, as well as to punishment in the form of imprisonment;
assignment of a pension provided for in paragraph 2 of Article 32 of the Law on Employment, or assignment of an old-age insurance pension (including early), or assignment of an old-age pension or long-service pension under state pension provision;
refusal of mediation by employment service authorities (upon a personal written application from a citizen);
death of an unemployed person.

What is a SUITABLE JOB?

Such work is considered suitable, including work of a temporary nature, which corresponds to the professional suitability of the employee, taking into account the level of his qualifications, the conditions of the last place of work (with the exception of paid public works), health status, and transport accessibility of the workplace.
Paid work, including temporary work and public works, which requires or does not require (taking into account the age and other characteristics of citizens) preliminary training, meeting the requirements of labor legislation and other regulatory legal acts containing labor law norms, is considered suitable for citizens:
those looking for work for the first time (who have not previously worked) and who do not have qualifications;
dismissed more than once within one year preceding the start of unemployment, for violation of labor discipline or other guilty actions;
those who have ceased individual entrepreneurial activity or left the members of a peasant (farm) enterprise in the manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation;
those seeking to resume work after a long (more than 1 year) break;
sent by the employment center for training and expelled for guilty actions;
those who refused to undergo vocational training or receive additional vocational education after the end of the 1st period of unemployment benefits;
registered with the employment center for more than 18 months;
have not worked for more than 3 years;
who applied to the employment service after the end of seasonal work.

A job cannot be considered suitable if:

it is associated with a change of residence without the consent of the citizen;
working conditions do not comply with labor protection rules and regulations;
the proposed salary is below the average citizen’s earnings calculated over the last 3 months at the last place of work.

This provision does not apply to citizens whose average monthly earnings exceeded the subsistence level of the working population in the Republic of Crimea. In this case, a job cannot be considered suitable if the salary offered is below the subsistence level.

ATTENTION: For citizens who have several professions (specialties), the selection of a suitable job is carried out for each of them!

REMEMBER: Citizens are given no more than 2 job !

An individual entrepreneur has become unemployed: what benefits can he count on?

Until October 1, 2021, due to pandemics, those individual entrepreneurs that closed after March 1, 2021 and registered as unemployed could count on a maximum benefit amount of 12,130 rubles. Such a guarantee was established by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated June 10, 2020 No. 844.

Now individual entrepreneurs will be assigned a minimum allowance of 1,500 rubles. The Ministry of Labor in Letter dated April 19, 2021 No. 16-1/OOG-2387 explained why.

Individual entrepreneurs are not subject to the general procedure for calculating unemployment benefits, when the amount depends on average monthly earnings. It does not matter how much the entrepreneur received when he was in business before he became unemployed.

The Ministry of Labor clarifies that “the highest degree of social support for the unemployed” in the form of unemployment benefits is provided to citizens dismissed for reasons not related to guilty actions. An individual entrepreneur who has ceased operations does not belong to the category of dismissed workers, since he independently provides himself with work.

How can an individual entrepreneur receive unemployment benefits?

Duration of unemployment benefit payment

According to Art. 34 of the Law of the Russian Federation of April 19, 1991 No. 1032-1, three months upon first application, benefits will be paid:

first-time job seekers;
those who have not worked for more than a year;
dismissed for disciplinary violations;
those who worked less than 26 weeks a year before applying to the employment center;
expelled from training in the direction of the employment center.

But in general, upon the first application, benefits are paid for up to six months, and for subsequent applications - three months.

The longest benefit payment period is for pre-retirees. They receive money throughout the year. At the same time, the payment period is additionally increased by two weeks for each year of service over 25 years for men and 20 years for women.

Taking into account the additional weeks, the maximum period during which pre-retirees are entitled to receive benefits is 24 months.

Responsibilities of the unemployed

The emergence of rights always gives rise to the presence of certain responsibilities. Citizens registered with the employment center must fulfill the following requirements:

Appear on time at the employment authorities for the re-registration procedure. You need to have certain documents with you, and this must be done twice a month.
Take active steps to find employment. This requirement includes the obligation not only to consider offers from the employment service, but also to independently search for work .
In case of illness, issue a certificate of incapacity for work or a certificate if we are talking about another family member.
Inform employment authorities in a timely manner about the occurrence of events as a result of which the right to receive benefits is lost. This could be employment, retirement, relocation. Otherwise, the simultaneous receipt of earnings and unemployment payments is considered fraud, for which the citizen can be held accountable.
Show up on time for negotiations with the employer as directed by the employment center. The unemployed are given three days to do this.

If these obligations are not fulfilled, the citizen may be subject to certain liability or deprived of his unemployed status.

Useful information for many mothers on how to get maternity benefits if you don’t work. Important information for pregnant women is, of course, information about the period for payment of benefits. Find out them in our article! You will find out how much pension a former civil servant can expect here!