Jobsplus Has Re-opened A Scheme For Employers To Help Less Advantaged Job Seekers Find Work
Are you hiring?
Malta’s Public Employment Service, Jobsplus, is once again opening the Access to Employment (A2E) Scheme to help local employers recruit jobseekers, including those who are unemployed or who were inactive from work.
The scheme falls under the European Social Fund+ for the period between 2021 and 2027 and is co-funded by the European Union, the Maltese Government and the Employers.
What is the A2E Scheme?
For many years, this very scheme provided job opportunities and work experience to people who had been struggling to find an occupation due to various reasons.
During 2022, Jobsplus received over 900 applications and has in turn supported over 550 people for a total of €2.9 million in financial grants.
It is also an important pillar for Malta to bridge the gap between supply and demand within the labour market.
Who can benefit?
The scheme ultimately aims to help facilitate the job-seeking process for:
- People over the age of 24 who have been unemployed for 6 months or 24 months;
- Unemployed persons over the age of 50;
- Those who have only completed secondary school;
- Persons with disabilities; and
- Single adults looking after dependants.
Since June 2015, the A2E Scheme helped 3,200 individuals enter the employment market, the vast majority of whom (78%) were individuals who had been unemployed for over two years. 51% were women, 15% were over the age of 54, and 16% were persons with a disability.
Why should local employers consider applying for the A2E scheme?
Local employers within this scheme will receive a €110.93 subsidy per week for full-time employment, and €55.47 per week for part-time employment. These grants will cover a 52-week or 104-week period, depending on what kind of employee the recruiter wishes to consider.
Employers who recruit a person with a disability for a full-time post are given €166.40 a week, or €83.20 if they offer part-time employment to a person with a disability. Both grants are given for a maximum of 156 weeks and all rates are revised each year to reflect increases in the cost of living.
Jobsplus operates at a national and European level to offer free services and schemes to support employers, employees and those who are still looking for work, regardless of their socio-economic level.
This is done through the body’s many training courses and rebate schemes, work exposure programmes, placement, traineeships, preventive classes and advisory services, to name a few.
Its mission remains to make Malta’s labour market more accessible through modernised and targeted services while allowing mobility in jobs and promoting investment in human capital.
Click here if you wish to apply for the access to Employment (A2E) Scheme, or contact Jobsplus for free on 153.
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