New payment system for unemployment insurance funds The SECO unit responsible for the labour market and unemployment insurance has been working hard since 2017 to develop a new system for the processing and payment of unemployment benefit. Known as SIPACfutur, this system has been developed in partnership with the enforcement offices. In 2022, the system currently used to manage beneficiaries will be replaced by a new, more efficient solution with better user acceptance and improved process orientation.
The impact of the COVID-19 crisis – a sharp reduction in available internal project resources (unemployment insurance funds: -90%,SECO-TC: -40%), an extension of the project scope due to legal amendments, and efficiency losses in project work as a result of COVID-19 protective measures – have put extra pressure on the timings, making the originally planned ASAL rollout deadline of Easter 2021 no longer realistic.
The project has therefore been rescheduled and the deadline for the rollout of the new solution/the rollout deadline extended to 2022
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, the major SIPACfutur project is still making progress, and the SIPAC 2.0 target solution continues to take shape.
By utilising integrated, digitalised and validated processes, the new SIPAC 2.0 payment system aims to speed up processing of unemployment insurance, reduce administrative errors and improve legal compliance. To achieve these goals, extensive use is being made of the benefits of digitalisation. The focus is on the following aspects:
• Online services for insured persons: In future, insured persons will be able to make enquiries and consult their data and documents online. The system will allow automatic processing of most of the data uploaded to the portal by the job-seeker.
• Digitalisation of data management: when correspondence is received in the post, the data will be systematically digitalised and registered in the system using a text recognition tool with an advanced data analysis function.
• Integrated processing: in future, users will be guided through the SIPAC system by harmonised processes, without redundancies or the need to switch to different systems. Both beneficiaries and third parties will be integrated into the process. In addition, the system will have strong software to detect abuse and ensure compliance.
• Digitalisation of data output: information and documents aimed at beneficiaries and third parties will also be available digitally. It will no longer be necessary for the insurance funds and regional employment centres to sign the documents produced, so they can be transmitted directly to users.
The support provided by the new system will, in the medium to long term, reduce the administrative workload of unemployment insurance funds. Interaction of the various functions of SIPAC 2.0 will simplify their day-to-day work.
