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 the new SIPAC 2.0 system for the processing and payment of unemployment benefit. SIPAC 2.0 has been developed in close partnership with the enforcement offices. In 2023–24, the system currently used to manage beneficiaries will be replaced in stages by a new, more efficient solution with better user acceptance and improved process orientation.
The current project plan was approved by the Supervisory Commission for the Unemployment Insurance Fund on 21 June 2022. It envisages a staggered two-part rollout of the SIPAC 2.0 system. Part 1 comprises the components business partner management and organisation management, as well as the benefit types short-time working compensation and bad-weather compensation. Stage 1 rollout is planned for Easter 2023. This process could be complete by August 2023, depending on how much additional work is required for the unemployment insurance funds to retroactively process vacation and public holiday compensation (in accordance with Federal Supreme Court ruling BGE 8C_272/2021 of 17 November 2021).
Part 2 comprises the remaining benefit types including unemployment benefit and insolvency compensation, and international affairs. This stage is to be implemented by the turn of the year 2023–24. The downstream SAP ERP migration (migration of the unemployment insurance fund’s current SAP system to the new S/4 HANA platform of SIPAC 2.0) will take place by the turn of the year 2024–25 at the latest. The staggered implementation brings numerous advantages and lowers risk compared to a complete implementation in one step.
The enforcement offices will be informed about the status of planning on an ongoing basis so that they have sufficient time to plan the activities required for implementation and can then carry them out in good time – with support from the digiFIT project.
The SIPAC 2.0 solution has already achieved a high level of maturity. Feedback on the current status from managers and experts from the enforcement offices and SECO TC has been positive.
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.
