FACTBOX-Jobless benefits vary around the world

Aug 7 (Reuters) - With increasing numbers of people put out of work in the recession, here is a look at the unemployment benefits offered in the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Japan.

THE UNITED STATES

In the United States, jobless benefits differ from state to state.

Generally, benefits are intended to provide temporary assistance to workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own, which means workers who voluntarily quit normally do not qualify. Most states fund the programs through taxes imposed on employers.

In normal times the maximum duration for jobless benefits is 26 weeks, but Congress can extend that, and has done for the current recession. Some workers can now claim as many as 79 weeks of jobless aid, although not all qualify.

The amount of the weekly benefit is based on the level of pay before job loss. In Connecticut, for example, wages used to determine the benefit are based on a one-year period that does not include the quarter in which the jobless claim was initiated or the one immediately prior.

The state then breaks that year into four quarters and takes wages from the two highest earnings periods, divides it by 26, and then rounds down to the nearest dollar.

Maximum benefits vary widely from state to state. For example, in Massachusetts the maximum weekly jobless benefit is $628 while in neighboring Connecticut it's $519 and in Missouri just $320, according to the states' web sites.

The unemployment rate actually dipped to 9.4 percent in July from 9.5 percent in June, but many analysts attribute that to people giving up looking for work and the White House expects the total to hit 10 percent by the end of the year.

BRITAIN

To receive unemployment benefit -- colloquially known as "the dole" and formally called Jobseekers Allowance -- claimants must show that they are actively looking for work.

For a single person over the age of 25 the benefit is 64.30 pounds (about $110) a week, but the total depends on whether a person has paid national insurance contributions in the last two years and on whether they have other income or savings.

Those who fail to find work in 18 months must join a government scheme involving working with a personal adviser, training courses or volunteer work to help them find a job.

Many long-term unemployed end up claiming incapacity benefit, often for conditions such as depression. In June, 2009 the government estimated some 2.6 million people were receiving either incapacity benefit or some other support allowance.

This group is excluded from the official unemployment figures, which showed 2.38 million people out of work in the three months to May -- a rate of 7.6 percent.

FRANCE

Workers can draw unemployment benefits for 24 months receiving on average 57.4 percent of their last gross salary -- more for lower income workers, and a lower percentage for those better paid.

After 24 months, the unemployed pass onto various other forms of welfare which are not as generous but still provide enough to live off. Workers aged 50 or over get unemployment benefit for 36 months.

France's total unemployment total showed its first fall in a year in June, dropping by 18,600 to 2.5 million.

GERMANY

Single people who have worked for a minimum of two years can get 60 percent of their wage or salary for 12 months (18 months for older people) if they become unemployed. This rises to 67 percent for those with children.

After the 12 months, people shift onto another benefit scheme under which they receive 359 euros a month and their housing costs are, within reason, taken on by the state.

In July, Germany's unemployment total rose by 52,000 on the month to 3.462 million.

Major use of shortened working hours has reduced job losses and unemployment has risen by only 300,000 since the global financial and economic crisis intensified last September.

JAPAN

Unemployed Japanese get benefits but they must look for work through a so-called "Hello Work" job search agency and have to have been in the job insurance system for 12 months.

The period that benefits are paid depends on the length of time the person was in their last job but can be up to one year. That can be extended for up to three years if the person falls ill, is pregnant or has to care for a child.

The size of the payout depends on the jobless person's last income and age and there are upper limits ranging from 6,290 yen (around $66) per day to 7,685 yen (around $81) per day.

The government also provides job training programs.

Japan's unemployment rate rose to a six-year high of 5.4 percent in June) (Reporting by Emily Kaiser in Washington, Crispian Balmer in Paris, Peter Apps in London, Paul Carrel in Berlin and Yoko Nishikawa in Tokyo; Editing by David Storey)