More than 930,000 workers temporarily laid off due to Covid-19
According to the Minister of Labour, more than 930,000 workers are already covered by the new lay-off regime.
There are now more than 930,000 workers in Portugal covered by the simplified temporary ‘lay-off’ measure, launched by the government to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data released on Wednesday.
The number was issued by the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, who is being heard today in parliament, following a request made by the PSD parliamentary group on the government’s social responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“At the moment the simplified ‘lay-off’ has already reached 931,000 workers who have had their jobs maintained. The simplified ‘lay-off’ is serving as a cushion to maintain jobs during this phase we are going through,” he said.
According to the government, 96% of companies that have applied for the simplified lay-off have up to 50 workers and 79% of companies have up to 10 workers.
By economic activity, according to Ana Mendes Godinho, the companies that most requested the measure belong to the accommodation and catering sector, and secondly, there is commerce.
In the social area, 1,300 institutions have applied for the simplified ‘lay-off’ so far, she added.
The government also said that some 145,000 independent workers have already accessed the extraordinary support created as part of the measures to respond to the spread of the new coronavirus.
According to Ana Mendes Godinho, there has been an increase in the number of people registered with the Employment and Professional Training Institute (IEFP) and in applications for unemployment benefits, with 353,000 people currently registered as unemployed, compared to 321,000 in March.
This figure, he says, “shows that the simplified ‘lay-off’ mechanism is managing to absorb a large part of the maintenance of jobs” and serving as a ‘buffer’.
The minister also said that some 171,000 parents have had access to the support created for workers who, at the end of March, had to skip work to care for their children (up to the age of 12), whose schools were closed.
Overall, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused nearly 127,000 deaths and infected more than two million people in 193 countries and territories.
Portugal now has 599 deaths associated with covid-19, 32 more than on Tuesday, and 18,091 infected (643 more), the epidemiological bulletin released by the Directorate General of Health (DGS) said.
