Statutory Unemployment Insurance (Gesetzliche Arbeitslosenversicherung) What is the Unemployment Insurance? A multitude of benefits are provided within the scope of unemployment insurance. These include benefits that support people's integration into employment or training, as well as those that safeguard a person's livelihood in case of unemployment. Benefits are designed primarily for those groups of people - employees and employers - who contribute to financing the unemployment insurance system. In order to receive benefits, the affected person must fulfill certain entitlement requirements. Who is insured? The provision states that in principle all persons gainfully employed above the insignificance limit are liable to contribute to statutory unemployment insurance. Trainees are also compulsorily insured against unemployment. Benefits Benefits of unemployment insurance among other things are: o Counselling and placement support (job application costs, travel costs, placement certificate), o Measures for improving integration prospects o Support for those taking on a new position, mobility assistance (transitional allowance; assistance with expenses for clothing and equipment, travel, commuting, setting up separate household near workplace, relocation) o and lots of other benefits. Financing Unemployment insurance is financed through the contribution of employers and the insured person. The contribution amount depends both on an employee's assessable income up to a defined contribution assessment limit, which is adjusted each year (2015: 72.600 € (West Germany); 62.400 € (East Germany) per year) and on the contribution rate. The generally applicable contribution rate for retirement pension insurance is 3 percent. The employer pays a half of the insurance contribution and the employee pays the other half. For more information: http://www.deutsche-sozialversicherung.de/en/index.html The Hamburg Welcome Center does not recommend any particular private or commercial offer . While every care is taken to ensure the correctness of all information provided, the Hambu rg Welcome Center cannot assume any liability for the information being exhaustive, accurate and up -to-date. The providers are exclusively responsible for all content Alter W all 11  D - 20457 Hamburg   +49 40 428 54-5001 www.welcome.hamburg.de  [email protected] HWC 2015