The ETC said today that it has so far issued 1,021 grants to employers under the Employment Aid Programme (EAP), which finances up to half of salaries and NI contributions for workers in various categories. The total amount of funds committed for these placements reached € 4,375,556.

531 employers have benefited from this scheme.

The ETC said the programme is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF). It is aimed at disadvantaged jobseekers, including people aged under 25 and within two years of completing their full-time education.

Other individuals who can also benefit from the scheme are those who have been absent from work for at least two years and who want to re-enter the labour market; single persons who are seeking employment but are also looking after dependants; those who quit their education after secondary school and have been made redundant in the past six months, or else have been served with a redundancy notice; persons who are over 50 years old; long-term registered unemployed; and persons with disability.

The ETC said the number of applicants for the programme is increasing every month. By the end of November, the ETC had received 2268 applications (445 in Gozo) . Placements under this scheme have generated a satisfactory retention rate of 94%.

The ETC said it will be announcing further benefits next month, and the duration of the subsidy is expected to increase substantially.

Further information is available on telephone, 222 01 217 or email: eap.etc@gov.mt.