How to join the labor exchange and get the most out of unemployment

What kind of benefit is this?

Citizens temporarily left without income are entitled to regular cash payments from the state.
And although the amount currently paid at the labor exchange for unemployment does not exceed the minimum wage, this money is still a help for families. To receive them, you need to contact the employment center (PEC). Functions of such centers:

• providing interested parties with up-to-date information about vacancies;
• referral of those wishing to undergo vocational training or retraining;
• assistance in employment of citizens; registration of unemployment benefits.

IMPORTANT! Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the procedure for registering and applying for unemployment benefits has changed. Government Decree No. 460 dated 04/08/2020 approved temporary (until December 31, 2021) rules for registering citizens as unemployed and making social payments to them. Please check with your regional center for specifics on obtaining status.

After you prepare and submit a package of documents, you will be assigned unemployed status.
Then the central payment center will calculate how much to pay based on various factors. If a person does not have a job, but he has not contacted the CZN specialists to register, he will not receive any benefits.
In addition, he will not be provided with information about available jobs at enterprises and firms, information about which is available in the employment center.

How to join the labor exchange?

“Joining the labor exchange” means registering with the employment service as unemployed. This happens in two stages.

1. First, a person registers to look for a suitable job - at this time they look for a suitable job and do not pay unemployment benefits (this stage lasts 10 days).

2. If a job is not found, and the person meets the necessary criteria (they will be discussed below), he is recognized as unemployed and benefits begin to be paid.

Here are the details.

Legal regulation

The rules and procedure for payment of benefits are specified in the Federal Law of April 19, 1991 No. 1032-1 “On Employment in the Russian Federation” (as amended on March 7, 2018), and several government decrees.
But not all people are in a hurry to visit the center. There is an opinion that only low-paid vacancies are offered there. And if you look at what unemployment benefits are paid at the labor exchange in 2021, it is not worth bothering with paperwork.

On March 30, 2020, Government Decree No. 346 of March 27, 2020 came into force, which fixed the new amount of unemployment benefits. In 2021 it will be:

• the minimum benefit amount is 1,500 rubles;
• the maximum value reaches 12,130 rubles.

It is difficult to survive on such a modest monthly payment, but these amounts are in any case quite high compared to last year. Until 2021, the amount of payments has not changed for 10 years.

IMPORTANT! In connection with the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic, the authorities have taken a number of measures to support citizens and businesses, including an increase in unemployment benefits. In the period from May to October 2021, the minimum payments will be 4,500 rubles, and the maximum will remain at the level of the federal minimum wage (12,130 rubles).

The maximum amounts are due to those who, during the 12 months preceding dismissal, had a total paid work experience of at least 26 calendar weeks on a full-time or weekly basis. In the new Government Decree dated 10.06. 2021 No. 844 clarifies who else is entitled to payments of 12,130 rubles for unemployment - individual entrepreneurs who, due to quarantine, stopped their business activities and registered as unemployed.

The main disadvantages of contacting an employment center

There are several disadvantages of cooperation with the exchange, which are worth familiarizing yourself with in advance.

The labor exchange has some disadvantages

These include:

• relatively small amount of payments. It is almost impossible to live on the benefits paid, unless you spend money on exclusively necessary and inexpensive food products. You shouldn’t even think about buying any things. However, this is better than receiving nothing at all;
• the need to regularly visit the labor exchange. In addition, you should constantly search for a new job and go for interviews for vacancies that the service employees have selected, despite the fact that they may not interest you at all. If this is ignored, the person may be deregistered and benefits may cease to be paid;
• short period of stay on the stock exchange. Benefits can only be paid for 12 months over a period of 18 months.

You need to regularly visit the labor exchange and go for interviews

Who will receive the benefit?

In 2021, unemployment benefits are paid to citizens:

• who have officially received the status of unemployed, that is, registered in the prescribed manner;
• those who worked at least 26 weeks over the past year, that is, the 2019 calendar year. Having a job is one of the main conditions for how to receive 12,000 in unemployment from the state for several months;
• whose former employer, before dismissing employees, diligently paid insurance contributions for them;
• who are able to work and have no contraindications to work;
• and most importantly, those who are actually looking for work.

Some categories of citizens cannot be registered as unemployed:

• persons undergoing military service; full-time students;
• minors and old-age pensioners;
• convicted citizens and sentenced to correctional labor, imprisonment;
• citizens who do not have the necessary documents for registration.

How and where to arrange everything

To start receiving money, a citizen applies to the territorial central payment center at his place of residence.
Until December 31, applicants are allowed to submit documents online instead of going in person. Through the State portal, unemployment benefits will be assigned and paid according to general rules. The registration procedure involves collecting the following documents (Article 3, Clause 2 of the Federal Law of April 19, 1991 No. 1032-1):

• completed application;
• general passport or other identification document;
• certificate, diploma of education or other document confirming the applicant’s qualifications;
• work book indicating the last place of work and the reason for dismissal;
• certificate of average earnings for the previous three months from the last job. It is important that this document is filled out correctly, without errors or blots. If an accountant fills out a certificate improperly, it will simply not be accepted;
• individual rehabilitation program for a disabled person (for persons with disabilities).

Help for determining the amount of unemployment benefits

For a student who has just graduated from an educational institution, it is enough to provide a passport and a certificate or diploma of education. Along with the originals of the above documents, take their copies with you.

The center commission accepts the necessary papers for consideration. If the Central Employment Service makes a positive decision on the application and recognizes the citizen as unemployed, he is assigned a benefit. For those who are interested in how many days unemployment benefits are paid after registration, we answer: the first money will be transferred to you in the month following the month you received unemployed status.

The second stage of the procedure is to come to the central control center with your passport on the appointed day. If for any reason you miss an appointment, the applicant will not be registered. And he will not be awarded unemployment benefits in 2021.

Advantages and disadvantages of the employment service

At the moment, the employment service is an excellent intermediary between those who are looking for work and the employers offering it. It provides employment services, job search and personnel search, social insurance and unemployment benefits to those temporarily left without a job, as well as socially vulnerable citizens, and completely free of charge.

It is also useful to inform citizens about the state of the labor market, psychological support and the availability of vocational training and advanced training courses. The labor exchange very often holds job fairs and holds competitions from large employer companies. All this makes it easier for active job seekers to find a job, helps them get a job on excellent terms, and most importantly, find a job and their dream job.

Therefore, the following advantages of labor exchanges in 2020 should be highlighted:

1. employment service specialists act in the interests of citizens, because their main task and work is to provide jobs;
2. services, consultations, lectures, trainings, courses are provided completely free of charge;
3. unemployment payment in the absence of vacancies;
4. The time spent receiving social assistance is counted as length of service, along with other work, including public work.

During the search, qualified assistance with possible psychological support is provided. With the participation of the labor exchange, it is possible to find a sought-after and well-paid specialty, as well as learn a foreign language without any investment. At the same time, employment will not require the termination of free courses, and upon completion, a certificate or diploma will be issued with a mark on the quality of training and level of knowledge.

However, despite the good positives, there are also a few negatives. Of these, it is worth highlighting the following:

1. the labor exchange vacancy database has a very large number of low-wage offers;
2. small amount of unemployment benefits;
3. a full range of services is provided exclusively to unemployed people who are registered. However, working citizens can seek consultations and advice, as well as to get acquainted with new vacancies and information;
4. There are cases where the vacancies provided do not correspond to reality or relevance.

All the positive and negative aspects of the labor exchange should not distract everyone from independently searching for work through other recruitment agencies, the media, newspapers, and especially the best way at the moment - the Internet.

There are many current vacancies on the Internet with good working conditions and pay. Some labor exchanges in Kyiv and other large cities have computers with unlimited Internet access, available to those who need help and are unable to access the global network.

How much, how and when they pay

The benefit amount in 2021 depends on the following conditions:

• availability of work during the year before registering with the Labor Center;
• the amount of official (white) salary at the last place of work;
• reasons for dismissal;
• duration of unemployment.

Moreover, in addition, the algorithm for calculating unemployment benefits at the employment center in 2021 also takes into account the period during which the payment is calculated. The basis for the calculations is the average salary that was paid before registration with the Labor Center, calculated over three working months:

• in the first three months 75% of this average is issued;
• in the next three months - 60%.

What does the employment center do?

Employment centers (nowadays they often use the term “employment agency”) work with employers and job seekers:

• They help job seekers find jobs and employers find employees. Provide consultations on employment issues.
• They provide vocational guidance to citizens and provide opportunities for additional education and professional retraining.
• They make social payments to citizens who are unemployed and registered with the employment center.
• They carry out social adaptation of citizens without work.
• Organize and conduct job fairs.
• They support self-employment of unemployed citizens, provide opportunities for paid public work and work for minors.

For people left without work, the employment center acts as a state guarantor of support and assistance during the period of unemployment. By registering with the employment center, a person is assigned the status of unemployed and is assigned social benefits provided for by Russian legislation. To be able to receive social benefits, 2 rules must be observed:

1. The citizen is able to work and has no income.
2. A citizen must be ready to start work at any time and independently search for work.

Termination of payments

In some cases, the payment of unemployment benefits is suspended or terminated at the initiative of the Labor Center.
Thus, simultaneously with deregistration as an unemployed person, they stop paying in the following cases: 1. Employment of a person.

2. Receiving vocational training in the direction of central planning, subject to payment of a scholarship.

3. Failure to appear at the central control center within one month in the absence of valid reasons.

4. Moving or relocating to another area.

5. If fraud or forgery is detected in order to receive benefits.

6. Imprisonment.

7. Assignment of pension.

8. Refusal to mediate with the employment service on the basis of a written application.

9. Death.

Payment of unemployment benefits is not made during the periods:

• maternity leave;
• if the unemployed person temporarily left their place of permanent residence due to training;
• conscription for military service.

But the above periods are not included in the general period for payment of unemployment benefits and do not extend it.

In what cases is the payment of benefits temporarily suspended while maintaining status?

Law of the Russian Federation dated April 19, 1991 No. 1032-1 provides information on how unemployment benefits are paid at the employment center and for what reasons payments are suspended (see Article 35). It follows from it that they stop paying for a period of up to one month in the following cases:

• the unemployed person’s refusal of two job options offered to him that suits him;
• refusal, after one month of unemployed period, to participate in public works paid for by the state, or to be sent for training;
• the appearance of an unemployed person for re-registration while under the influence of alcohol or drugs (spice is also included here);
• dismissal from the last job due to violation of labor discipline, expulsion from an educational institution for guilty actions; violation by the unemployed of the conditions and terms of re-registration in the absence of valid reasons;
• termination of training in the direction of the employment service without permission.

In these cases, benefit payments are suspended, but this period is included in the total total period for calculating unemployment.
Sometimes the Employment Center decides to reduce the amount of unemployment benefits by 25% for up to one month. This is possible in the following cases:

• a person’s failure to appear without a good reason for employment negotiations with an employer within three days from the date of referral by the employment service;
• refusal without good reason to appear at the employment authorities to receive a referral to work or training.

Information about the addresses of employment centers in major cities of Ukraine

The following tables provide basic information (telephone numbers and locations) about employment centers in major cities of Ukraine. If you have any questions, you can ask them at the indicated telephone numbers. You can be sure that you will receive quality help.

Labor exchanges in Kyiv

Employment centers in Dnipro

Employment centers in Zaporozhye

Employment centers in Kharkov

Employment centers in Odessa

Employment centers in Krivoy Rog

Employment centers in Mariupol