Spain creates jobless benefit system for artists

Spain’s government approved Tuesday the creation of a special unemployment benefit system for actors, musicians and other culture sector workers designed to protect them in the downtime between jobs.

To qualify an actor will have to have worked for at least 60 days in the previous 18 months — a far shorter period than needed for the “regular” jobless benefit granted to workers in other sectors.

The system will be paid for by employers and workers’ contributions and also apply to technicians such as set-builders and lighting crew.

The government estimates around 70,000 people in Spain will qualify for the special unemployment aid, which has long been called for by cultural workers.

Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz said the system was needed because workers in the cultural sector face a high degree of job precarity and are often employed just for short periods.

“Sometimes when we think of culture, we think of big stars” with little economic needs, she told a news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting which approved the measure.

“But the sector is not really like that. There is a great need for protection,” Diaz said, adding that “very few countries” have a similar system.

France set up a special unemployment system for performing artists and technicians in 1936.

It initially applied only to cinema technicians and executives but was extended in 1969 to include actors as well as theatre technicians. It currently supports around 100,000 people.

The Spanish government has boosted spending in recent years to power up the local film and TV production industry and encourage big foreign players to shoot and set up production offices in Spain.