Money given to the unemployed is just 17% of their previous in-work income, but how does your country measure up?
New figures have shown which country in northern Europe offers the worst unemployment benefits.
Analysis of official OECD data by the Scottish National Party (SNP) revealed the UK has the worst safety net for the unemployed, lagging far behind its European counterparts.
After two months of joblessness, the UK provides its citizens support worth 17% of their previous in-work income – compared to 90% in Belgium
The UK replacement rate is substantially lower than every other northwestern European country, including Luxembourg (85%), Norway (78%), Denmark (78%), Iceland (75%), Switzerland (74%), Sweden (72%), The Netherlands (69%), France (66%), Germany (66%), Finland (57%), Austria (57%) and Ireland (54%).
A reason why the UK was compared to these countries is they are similar in terms of economic development. Comparing it to less economically advanced countries in southern or eastern Europe would be facile.
