Income support for standard and non-standard workers

Workers engaged in independent work, short-term or part-time employment (i.e. non-standard workers) are less well protected against the risk of job or income loss. Not all those who lose their jobs can access unemployment benefits and related income during extended unemployment. This is especially problematic if health insurance is tied to employment or benefits. Not only are they less likely to receive income support than workers with past continuous full-time work, but they also often receive lower benefits than standard employees. Additional temporary emergency measures may be needed to provide urgent and easy-to-access income support during the COVID-19 crisis. See "Supporting people and companies to deal with the COVID-19 virus".