What is part-time work?
In part-time work, the working hours are at most 80% of a full-time employee’s working hours applied in your sector.
If you do not know the maximum working hours applied in your job, you can ask your employer. The collective agreement applied is also usually mentioned in your employment contract. You can check the maximum working hours there. If the maximum working hours are not determined separately, we will apply 40 working hours per week, as stated in the Employment Contracts Act.
Determination of eligibility based on working hours
Eligibility for an adjusted unemployment allowance in the context of part-time employment requires that your working hours do not exceed the 80% threshold laid down by law. Simply having a low wage or having had a pay cut does not make you eligible for an adjusted allowance if the reduction in earnings is not linked to a loss of working hours.
You are also not entitled to an adjusted unemployment allowance if you work part-time as a result of having asked for less hours. In such circumstances, the part-time nature of your work is not due to unemployment.
To determine whether you qualify, we look at both the working hours recorded in your employment contract and the circumstances in which you work. We can only pay you an adjusted allowance if we are satisfied, based on the nature and circumstances of your work, that your working hours do not exceed the 80% threshold.