The two big Dutch employers organisations have now agreed to support a deal extending unemployment benefit from two to three years.

Social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher gave the green light for the deal last month and it had appeared as if the deal had been finalised. However, the VNO-NCW and small firms association MKB-Nederland both said they needed more time to win approval for the agreement.

That approval has now been reached, and employers concerns about extra red tape have been taken into account, the revised agreement states.

The outgoing government agreed when it came into power in 2012 to reduce unemployment benefit (ww) from three to a maximum of two years. However it left the window open for change, if unions and employers were in favour.

The extra year’s jobless benefit will be paid out of a new fund which will cost workers a maximum 0.2% of the gross salary – some €70 a year for people on average salaries.

Although the longer period applies to all workers in principle, only older people are likely to qualify because the length of time people can claim ww depends on how long they have been working.