SSB Considering Unemployment Grant

An unemployment grant is among the measures being considered by the Social Security Board (SSB), Premier and Minister of Finance Dr. Natalio Wheatley disclosed during his Budget Address this week.

Presenting the 2027 Budget on Tuesday, October 27, Wheatley said the Board was examining additional support for the community and contributors following the Social Security Fund’s historic billion-dollar milestone.

“This includes an increase in burial grants, considering unemployment grant and increase in the minimum payment for retirees,” he stated.

Wheatley did not outline the proposed unemployment grant’s value, eligibility requirements or implementation timeline in those remarks. His statement placed the measure under consideration, with no announcement that applications would open.

The Premier also reported that the Social Security Fund’s combined balance surpassed $1 billion for the first time in August 2026.

Earlier discussions

Financial support for unemployed residents has been raised previously, although earlier proposals referred to unemployment insurance.

According to reports in 2024, Minister for Health and Social Development Vincent Wheatley told the House of Assembly that successive administrations had been working towards an unemployment insurance system since 2005. He said his ministry was working with the Social Security Board to assess available information and determine the way forward.

The Territory also introduced temporary unemployment assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, the Social Security Board outlined a $10 million unemployment and underemployment relief fund for people whose livelihoods had been affected.

That programme provided qualifying applicants with payments calculated at 50 per cent of insurable earnings, subject to a minimum of $500 and maximum of $1,000 monthly, for up to three months.

The Premier’s latest remarks did not explain whether the unemployment grant now being considered would form part of the previously discussed insurance system or operate as a separate benefit.