At the moment there is no benefit in the Caribbean Netherlands (CN) for employees who lose their job. In the run-up to a structural Unemployment Act for the CN (Werkloosheidswet BES; WV BES), the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) is currently working on a Temporary Unemployment Benefit BES regulation. With the Temporary Unemployment Benefit BES regulation there will be a benefit of maximum three months for employees in the CN who become unemployed through no fault of their own. On the 17th of February 2026 an internet consultation starts for the draft of this Temporary Unemployment Benefit BES regulation to which all interested parties can react.
Temporary Unemployment Benefit BES regulation
The Temporary Unemployment Benefit BES regulation is meant for all employees on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba who are qualified as an employee under the Wages and Salaries Tax Act BES. An exception to this applies to civil servants in the public sector. The Severance Pay (Civil Servants) Act BES is applicable to them and consequently not this new scheme.
The immediate income consequences of job loss can be eased with the benefit under the Temporary Unemployment Benefit BES regulation. The conditions to qualify for the benefit are:
- The employee must lose their (entire) job;
- The employee cannot become unemployed ‘through their own fault’.
- In the ten calendar months prior to the last day in employment, the employee worked at least one hour in 26 calendar weeks.
An application for an Unemployment social benefit can be submitted to the RCN unit SZW once the temporary regulation has entered into force.
Internet consultation
The Ministry of SZW attaches great value to the contribution of interested parties and other stakeholders to the realisation of legislation and regulations. That is why an internet consultation for the Temporary Unemployment Benefit BES regulation starts on the 17th of February 2026. This internet consultation continues up to and including the 17th of March 2026. The input from the internet consultation will be used to improve and supplement the legislative proposal, where required.
Anyone can react from 17 February up to and including the 17th of March 2026 (6:59 PM local time) to the internet consultation via: https://www.internetconsultatie.nl/tijdelijkeregelingwerkloosheidsvoorzieningbes.
Click on the link “Relevante documenten”, for a summary of the regulation in Papiamentu and English.