Facilitated access to short-time allowance expires at the end of June

The special provisions for receiving short-time allowance will expire on 30 June 2023.

21 Jun 2023 | Press release no.29

The legislator passed a resolution for facilitated access to short-time working allowance due to the consequences of corona and then because of disrupted supply chains and the effects of rising energy prices. During the pandemic, this secured employment for six million people at peak uptake. Overall, however, its use has fallen sharply again compared to the last three years. Expenditure on short-time allowance is also falling. According to our research institute, the vast majority of companies are no longer in a deep crisis as they were during Corona.
As of 1 July 2023, the conditions that applied to the receipt of short-time allowance before the pandemic will once again apply. At least one third of the employees in a company must then again be affected by a work stoppage; up to the end of June, the threshold is 10 per cent in connection with a work stoppage of more than 10 per cent. Temporary agency workers can no longer be supported through short-time work. In addition, from July 2023, companies will first have to build up negative working hours balances * again before the short-time allowance can be paid. This means that from July 2023, companies will have to build up minus hours again in the case of both initial and continuing losses of work. Once this has been exhausted, short-time allowance can be paid for further losses of working hours. For this, an arrangement must exist in the company whereby minus hours can be accumulated in the framework of a work time account. 
Please note: The instructions regarding this have changed, see Press Release no. 35.