35,537 employers have so far jointly received more than 1.3 billion euros on the basis of the new wage cost allowance scheme. Most of the money went to the catering industry, logistics and other commercial services, according to benefits agency UWV announced on Tuesday.
Other commercial services have received EUR 274 million so far. Number two is the transport and logistics sector, which has received a wage subsidy of 233 million. In third place is the hotel and catering industry, to which 208 million euros has been allocated so far.
When looking at the number of companies that have received a wage subsidy, the top three look slightly different. Companies that fall under other commercial services and catering and catering by far the most often applied for subsidies. In both cases it concerns more than eight thousand companies. With that they tower far above other branches. With 3,810 companies, retail is in third place.
It concerns money from the NOW 2.0 scheme. This is intended to encourage employers to keep their employees employed as much as possible. According to the UWV, the aid has now reached 693,000 employees. This concerns the figures up to and including Friday 7 August.
Small businesses in particular asked for support
Of the companies that have applied for wage support, the majority (over 22,000) employ fewer than ten employees. Only 241 companies with more than 250 employees have requested this support. This big difference is not surprising, given that most companies in the Netherlands employ fewer than ten employees.
Of the more than 35,000 recipients, 6,131 are located in the Greater Amsterdam region. The Rijnmond region is number two with 2,729 recipients. With 2,071 companies, Midden-Utrecht is in third place.
Companies are eligible for the NOW 2.0 scheme if they have suffered a loss of sales of at least 20 percent for four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The companies receive an allowance for wage costs of up to 90 percent, depending on the size of the loss of turnover. This concerns aid for the period from the beginning of June to the end of September.
The amounts that employers have received are an advance of 80 percent. The remaining 20 percent will be transferred at a later time. It may also be the case that companies have to repay part or all of the subsidy if it appears that they do not meet the conditions. The application was rejected at approximately nine hundred companies.
–
