Imagine one day, your company’s management breaks it to you that it’s not their intention to extend your contract. How would you react to that? The sooner you realise you need to find another job the better.

But what if the time since you heard the bad news is not enough to find another job? What are your choices then? Well, UWV (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen or Social Security Agency) is one of them. How much do you know about UWV though? Who is behind this agency and how does it function?

What does UWV do?
UWV’s mission is to help people progress through working. When work is not available, UWV ensures that they have an income.

UWV has four key tasks:

› Employment
It stimulates and supports its clients to continue working or to find a job.

› Social medical affairs
It evaluates, according to certain criteria, its clients' inability to work due to illnesses and acts for their re-integration.

› Benefits
It ensures benefits when employment is not (directly) possible.

› Data management
It ensures that clients provide the government with data about employment and benefits only once.

Benefits provided by UWV
UWV provides the employment benefits that are determined by Dutch law:

• Unemployment benefit (WW-uitkering)
• Disability benefits
• Maternity / Paternity benefit
• Sickness benefit