Although they are generally open to and compulsory for formal employees only - in part because employers contribute to them as well - the system, much like defined-contribution pensions, could be opened to informal workers on a voluntary basis, at least. Conversely, unemployment insurance pools risk across workers and firms, and therefore has a redistributive role. The objective of unemployment benefits - whether in the form of UISAs or traditional unemployment insurance - is more akin to consumption smoothing than poverty reduction.