Out of work? These are all the benefits available to unemployed people: training, subsidies, healthcare payments, and more.

For a person to be considered unemployed, they must generally meet certain conditions, such as not being of working age, not finding a vacancy, not having a successful search, or not being paid for their work.

Taking these factors into account, the Ministry of Labor developed a program known as the Unemployment Protection Mechanism , through which Colombians can manage their financial situation for a few months.

According to the organization, this project allows citizens who lose their jobs to more easily mitigate the negative effects of this situation, while maintaining access to healthcare, pension savings, and family benefits.

The institution also emphasizes that the laid-off worker will have the opportunity to use job placement services and participate in job training , with the goal of finding a new job as quickly as possible.

"This system promotes the formalization of employment and maintains the quality of life of the unemployed," the Ministry of Labor stated on its official website, also highlighting the social protection it provides to the unemployed.

Accordingly, the agency explained that payment of benefits ends after six months, when the citizen establishes an employment relationship or fails to meet their obligations under the program.

Among the key elements of the Unemployment Protection Mechanism is the advice of the Public Employment Service and various agencies , which are responsible for managing the matches between labor supply and demand.

Another benefit of the project is the financing of social security contributions for unemployed people , covering health, pension, and family benefits, from the Solidarity Fund for Employment Promotion and Unemployment Protection (FOSFEC).

According to the Ministry of Labor, all public and private sector employees who have made contributions to the Family Compensation Funds for at least one year have the opportunity to apply for support from the mechanism.

For their part, self-employed workers who have made their contributions for approximately two years, whether continuous or intermittent, will also be able to access the program's benefits.

DIGITAL REACH EDITORIAL