Employees on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba who lose their jobs through no fault of their own will be able to submit an application for unemployment benefit under the Temporary Unemployment Benefit Regulation BES (Tijdelijke regeling werkloosheidsvoorziening BES) from 1 January 2027 onwards. The benefit can be claimed for a maximum of three months.
The proposal for the Temporary Unemployment Benefit Regulation BES entered the consultation phase in the spring and that was the opportunity for stakeholders and the public to give their views and feedback. Although the plan is to introduce a permanent unemployment benefit law, it takes time to draft a new law. That is why the temporary regulation is being introduced, so that people do not have to wait for unemployment benefit for any longer than necessary. The experiences gained under the temporary regulation will be used when drafting the permanent law.
Information sessions
The unit for Social Affairs and Employment (Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid, SZW) is organising public information sessions to explain the new benefit in more detail and to answer questions about the regulation. The sessions are scheduled to take place in October on St. Eustatius and Saba, and in November on Bonaire.
During the sessions an explanation will be given about who might be eligible under the regulation and what you should do if you become unemployed.
The sessions are taking place on:
Saba, on Monday 26 October 2026 in the Eugenius Johnson Center:
- From 10.00 to 12.00 in English.
- From 4 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. in Spanish.
St. Eustatius, op Wednesday 28 October 2026 in the Elma building
- From 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in English.
- From 7 p.m. to 8:30 in Spanish.
More information
More information about the Temporary Unemployment Benefit Regulation BES can be found on our website. You can also contact the SZW office by phone on +599 418 3804 (Saba), by phone and WhatsApp +599 790 0052 on St. Eustatius or by phone and WhatsApp +599 7951106 on Bonaire.