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Who is entitled to unemployment in Israel?
- Israeli resident, or temporary resident - (in possession of a visa or temporary residence permit).
- Over 18 and under 67 years of age.
- You were an employee and your former employer contributed Bituah Leumi on your behalf.ALSO READ: What is Bitouah Leoumi?
How long do I have to pay contributions to qualify for unemployment benefits in Israel?
You must have been employed/self-employed for a minimum of 12 months over an 18-month period before becoming unemployed.
If you have contributed less than this period, you will not be entitled to unemployment benefit.
What is the procedure for receiving unemployment benefit in Israel?
Once you have left your job (through resignation or dismissal) you must go to the Lishkat Cheirout Ataassouka (לשכת שירות התעסוקה).
Once there, you'll need to register as a job seeker.
Next, you'll need to go to your local Bitouah Léoumi to register your claim for unemployment benefit.
How long will I receive unemployment benefits in Israel?
The Bitouah Leoumi takes into account the unemployed person's marital status and age.
How does the Bitouah Leoumi calculate unemployment in Israel?
The Bitouah Leoumi totals the pay slips for the last 6 months of employment before unemployment, and divides this amount by 150 to calculate the value of a day's work.
The Bituah Leumi has set a defined amount of 346 shekels as the basic daily wage.
To calculate the amount Bituah Leumi will pay you in unemployment benefit, note that there is a difference if you are over or under 28.
Once you have the value of your daily amount, simply multiply it by the number of days to which you are entitled.
Here's an example to help you understand:
Mr B. is 37 years old and was made redundant on 1/8/2016. He has worked for over 2 years without interruption as an employee, earning a fixed salary of 10,000 shekels gross per month.
He earned 60,000 shekels over the last 6 months, so his daily wage is 60,000/150 = 400 shekels.
Mr. B. will therefore receive 236,78 shekels per day of unemployment.
Mr B. has 2 children and is married, so he has 3 dependents.
According to his personal data, he will therefore be able to claim unemployment for a maximum period of 175 days.
He will therefore be able to earn up to 41,436 shekels, spread over a period of 7 months (175 days, at a rate of 25 days per month), or 5,919 shekels / month.
Unemployed people Watch out!
- An unemployed person who has resigned cannot start receiving unemployment benefits until 90 days after the resignation.
- When the Lishkat Cheirout Ataassouka has offered a job that might suit the unemployed person, and the latter refuses it without good reason, his unemployment benefit will be postponed for 90 days with each refusal.
- An unemployed person who has received payment from his or her ex-employer for the notice period can only receive unemployment once the notice period has ended.
