The initiative, introduced in 2018, seeks to extend childcare services from 85 days old to the age of two, a benefit currently only available to mothers working in companies with 20 or more female employees.

Labor Minister Tomas Rau stated that the relevant committee granted a new deadline for submitting amendments, and the president instructed them to “review, compare, and use the best available data.”

Rau noted that the bill will try to lessen the labor costs for employers, already burdened, he said, by the increase in the minimum wage, the 40-hour workweek law, and the pension reform.

The contribution to the Childcare Fund will be around 0.3 percent, he said, adding that it will be offset by a reduction in the unemployment insurance contribution, a temporary benefit available to workers in case of job loss.

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