Laid off to get cover for eight months

The Cabinet yesterday approved the extension of unemploy¬ment benefits for Social Security subscribers from six to eight months. However, the 2.5 per cent cut in employers' and workers' contribution to the Social Security Office fund still needs to be reviewed before it is submitted to the SSO board on February 10.

Deputy government spokesman Puttipong Punnakan said the extension would cover those who lose their jobs between December 2008 and December 2009.

The Cabinet has also approved Bt120 million for the first phase of vocational training for the unemployed, which is expected to cost Bt6.97 billion in its entirety, he said. The Office of the Permanent Secretary of the PM's Office is in....