Number of teachers on benefits falls sharply in primary education
Far fewer primary school teachers applied for unemployment benefit last summer compared to the previous summer. This is a decrease of 44 percent, according to recent figures from the benefits agency UWV.
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In the summer months of July and August of 2018, a total of 890 primary school teachers applied for unemployment benefit. The previous summer, this number was considerably higher with 1598 teachers. 'The increase in the summer months became a lot smaller in 2018', the UWV writes. The decrease was particularly strong in July: from 904 applications in July 2017 to 382 applications in July 2018.
Declaration
The UWV sees a clear decrease, especially in primary education. Employers may choose more often to allow appointments of teachers to continue in the summer due to the expected teacher shortage. Another possible explanation, according to the UWV, is that teachers whose temporary contract expires more quickly can find another job. As a result, they less often apply for unemployment benefits.
'The increase in applications for unemployment benefits in primary education in the summer months has become much smaller in 2018'
Every summer there is a clear pattern in education. In those months, the number of applications for unemployment benefit increases compared to other months in the same year. This is because the temporary contracts often also expire with the school year, so that at that time there are more WW applications. This was also the case this year: in May 2018, 97 primary school teachers applied for benefits, a month later 79, and then the peak came in the summer with 382 applications in July and 508 in August.
Current benefits
The number of current unemployment benefits in 2018 was less each month than in the same months of 2017 in primary education. In 2017, this concerned 12.234 current unemployment benefits in the months of July, August and September. This year it concerned 8245 current unemployment benefits. 'A considerable difference', according to the UWV.
The number of current unemployment benefits in July, August and September 2018 among teachers who teach general subjects in secondary education and MBO was also 16 percent lower than in the same months in 2017.
