14,839 subscribers benefited from unemployment insurance — SSC

AMMAN — The Social Security Corporation (SSC) on Monday said 14,839 subscribers had benefited from its insurance for temporary unemployment by the end of June, with insurance expenses reaching JD11.671 million.

The unemployment insurance, which was initiated on September 1, 2011, provides subscribers working in the private sector with monthly payments after they willingly resign from their jobs or are dismissed. 

SSC Media Director Musa Sbeihi told The Jordan Times that the temporary insurance aims to create financial stability for private sector employees.

“The private sector witnesses fluctuations and is usually characterised by job instability, especially in small- and medium-sized corporations,” he said over the phone, adding that during the period of temporary unemployment, subscribers are entitled to pensions in case of death or injury.

The unemployment insurance also allows those who do not work in the field of their expertise to look for other jobs that employ their skills and knowledge, according to Sbeihi, who noted that the insurance will reflect “national economic advantages in the long-term”.

Subscribers must hold a social security subscription for a minimum of 36 months to benefit from the unemployment insurance, under which they receive 75 per cent of their last salary for the first month of unemployment, 65 per cent for the second, 55 per cent for the third, and 45 per cent from the fourth month onwards.

“The gradual decrease is to encourage subscribers to look for new jobs,” Sbeihi said, adding that subscribers can benefit from this insurance up to three times over the course of their career.

Monthly salaries will not exceed JD5,000 and the maximum amount will be linked to the inflation rate, according to the SSC official.

Subscribers who have paid less than 180 monthly subscriptions will only get unemployment salary for three months, while those who paid more than 180 will get salaries for up to six months.

Monthly subscriptions for unemployment insurance equal 1.5 per cent of the subscriber’s salary, of which the employer pays 0.5 per cent.

According to SSC figures released earlier this year, private sector employees account for 51 per cent, or 513,000, of SSC subscribers, while 428,000, or 43 per cent, are employed by government agencies.