Aim of the regulation
At the moment there is no unemployment benefit in the Caribbean Netherlands for employees who lose their job. Although some people can rely on social relief, this does not apply to everyone as income and assets are taken into account
As a result, people who lost their job must make end meets financially on their own during a period of unemployment. That is why society and the government have expressed interest in the implementation of a regulation for unemployed employees. The Temporary Unemployment Benefit regulation BES is meant for employees on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba who:
- work on Bonaire, St. Eustatius or Saba;
- receive wages from an employer;
- become unemployed through no fault of their own.
The regulation takes effect on 1 January 2027 and is valid up to and including 31 December 2031 at the latest. Hence, it is possible to submit an application for consideration for the unemployment benefit from 1 January 2027. You can receive a benefit for a maximum of three months.
The benefit starts:
- on the 1st of the month if your employment ends between the 1st and the 14th of the month;
- on the 15th of the month if your employment ends between the 15th and the end of the month.
The end date of the benefit is fixed from the moment that your application is approved. This date does not change. The end date of your benefit is determined as soon as your application has been approved. As long as nothing changes in your situation and you comply with the rules, this end date stays the same.
Example:
Does your benefit start on 1 January? Then the benefit stops on 1 April.
When do you qualify?
During the ten months before you lose your job, you must have worked at least 26 weeks and at least one hour a week.
The following weeks are also included:
- weeks with paid leave;
- weeks in which you were sick or received a sickness benefit;
- weeks with care leave or contingency leave.