As of July 1, 2015, the method of calculating unemployment benefits (WW) has changed. As a result, people who have not received wages for the entire year receive a lower unemployment benefit.
If you have worked at least 26 weeks in the previous 36 weeks, you can receive a short-term unemployment benefit of three months. Additionally, if in the past five years you have worked at least 52 days per year in four years, you can receive a longer unemployment benefit, based on your employment history. The amount of the unemployment benefit was calculated by dividing your last earned wage by the number of days you received wages in the past year.
That calculation has now changed: your last earned wage is always divided by 261, the number of wage days in a year. This is especially unfavorable for people who have had a short-term employment contract, such as seasonal workers (asparagus pickers, beach bar staff). For example, if you have only worked 6 months (130.5 wage days), your earned wage during that period is still divided by 261, so your daily wage turns out much lower – and therefore your unemployment benefit as well.
