Algerian Government to Implement Unemployment Benefits

The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria will soon launch an unemployment payment scheme aimed at its youth as the country grapples with pervading joblessness.

During a live television broadcast on Tuesday, 15 February, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune shared that his government would offer an unemployment grant of just under $100 (13 000 dinars) to “preserve the dignity of young people.”

Tebboune explained that the unemployment benefits programme would enable job-seekers, aged between 19 and 40, to engage with the economy, as well as alleviate youth poverty within the country’s 45 million-strong population.

Starting in March, the aim of the policy is to make a dent in the nearly 15 per cent rate of unemployment.

The grant – accounted for in the 2022 budget, according to Tebboune – would provide two-thirds of a standard wage, along with limited medical aid, until gainful employment is found; additionally, taxes on select consumer products will be suspended.

Many countries across the world enacted lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in a significant decrease in the demand for gas, which cut the revenues that Algeria earned from one of its main exports. The knock-on effect keenly affected the job rate of the gas-producing nation.

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