Employees in Slovenian companies who were furloughed due to the coronavirus crisis will receive compensation in the amount of 80 percent of their average salaries for the past three months, 40 percent of which will be covered by the state, the Slovenian government proposed on Wednesday.

Under the proposal, the employees can be furloughed for a period of up to three months, and the companies may ask for state subsidies once for three consecutive months. Compensation for those who were instructed to go into quarantine will be covered by the state in full.

However, companies which owe taxes or are undergoing insolvency procedures cannot apply for state subsidies.

The proposal was unanimously accepted on Wednesday by the parliamentary labour committee, and is expected to be confirmed in the parliament by the end of the week.

The new rule will apply to employers who had to furlough at least a third of their staff due to a drop in orders and production, as well as small and microbusinesses with only a few, or just one employee.

Some 110,000 companies who operate under the principle of self-employment fall under this category, many of which are working in culture, journalism, and the service industry.