Sweden Finland Austria

27
Table 2.3.
Continued
D
NL
GB
CAN
Basic System
Type of insurance
Mandatory
Mandatory
Mandatory
Mandatory
Eligible groups
Employees
Employees
Employees
Employees
Waiting period
No
No
Yes 3 days
Yes 2 weeks
Duration of former
Minimum 
26 weeks of
In 2 years at least
10-20 weeks
period of work
12 months of work 
work within 39
25 min. contr. paid
in preceding
required
within 3 years
weeks and work in
and 100 
year
4 out of 5 years
credited
4)
Renewal of
As above
As above
13 weeks of work in 20 weeks in
rights
the last 26 weeks 
preceding year
Benefit formula
Income related
Income related
Flat rate
Income related
Maximum
½ to 2 2/3 years
Step 1:
½ year in JSA (C)
Up to 45 weeks 
benefit period
dependent on age
½ year
dependent on work
and former work
record and regional
history
unemployment
Additional System
Existence
Yes
Yes
Yes
None
Eligible groups
Unemployed not
Unemployed not
Unemployed not 
eligible for
eligible for insur.
eligible for insur.
insurance
from step 1JSA (ib)
Maximum
No limit
Step 2:
No limit
benefit period
¼ to 4½ years
6)
7)
Step 3: 2 years,
longer when 
57 years
Benefit formula
Income related
Income related
Flat rate
7)
Means-test
1)
The Swedish system changed from voluntary to mandatory on July 1st 1994, and back again to volun-
tary from January 1995. From 1998 there is a mandatory basic insurance and a voluntary income
related scheme.
2)
In Denmark, the employer pays compensation for the first 2 days.
3)
From July 1993 Sweden has 5 waiting days.
4)
There are two initial qualifying conditions:
a.
During one of the two complete tax years prior to the calendar year in which the claim for unem-
ployment benefits is made, earningsrelated contributions must have been made for earnings equal
to at least twenty five times the lower earnings limit (measured in GBP/week).
b.
In each of the complete tax years prior to the calendar year in which the claim is made, the claim-
ant must have paid or been credited with contributions which total to those from income equal to
at least fifty times the lower earnings limit. Concerning renewal, the claimant must have worked for
at least 16 hours in each of at least 13 weeks in the 26 weeks before the benefit is reclaimed.
5)
From July 1994 the rules were changed in order to stop the repeated renewals without time limitations.
From 1995 the renewal mechanism was basically as before July 1994, i.e. without time limitation
through job-offers, limitations are being considered by the Swedish government.
6)
From January 1994 the max. benefit period has been limited to one year for people who have not
worked long enough to claim insurance benefits from the basic system.
7)
The working condition for step 2 is 4 years out of 5. In step 3 of the system the benefit is ’flat rate’.
8)
With a short work record there might be a flat rate ceiling.

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28
4)
For GB it is a little more complicated, cf. table 2.3.
5)
Changes were implemented in Denmark from 1997, before it was ½ year of work.
6)
The rights for renewal were changed in Sweden from July 1994. From January 1995 the
rules were changed back again, but new changes are under consideration.