AMMAN — Amendments to the Social Security Corporation’s (SSC) Law have evoked mixed responses among experts regarding its provisions for unemployment insurance.
On Wednesday, the SSC announced that the amendments to the law would allow subscribers with over 240 subscriptions to benefit from unemployment insurance, according to an SSC statement made available to The Jordan Times.
The statement said that each month, the unemployed can claim 70 per cent of their previous wages from the SSC. It added that the unemployment benefits have an unlimited duration, provided that the subscriber’s unemployment insurance balance does not exceed 8 per cent of the total amount included in their SSC subscription.
Speaking to The Jordan Times on Thursday, CEO of JoWomeneconomics Mayyada Abu Jaber, said that the problem occurs when subscribers do not have the sufficient balance to benefit from the Unemployment Insurance Fund, because it would negatively affect their social security retirement benefits. “Therefore, people who are covered by the SSC should be aware of the smallest details relating to the corporation’s benefits,” she added.
On the positive side, Abu Jaber pointed out that unemployment benefits provide crucial economic stability to persons who lose their jobs, particularly women who usually experience disproportionate employment losses.
“The positive thing is the fact that if a woman who is close to retirement loses her job, the unemployment insurance would serve as a bridge to her retirement,” she further noted.
Meanwhile, Israa Mahadin, director of Karak Castle Centre for Consultations and Training, which seeks to enhance the capacities of women and youth, said that all social security benefits should be implemented equally and in a way that does not negatively impact subscribers.
She pointed out that “the draft law’s inclusion of unemployment insurance might be a positive step forward; however, there is a problem with implementing such decisions.”
