By the end of November, the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) had issued 1,021 grants to employers under the Employment Aid Programme (EAP), which finances up to 50 per cent of salaries and NI contributions for workers in various categories.

The corporation said 1,021 people were employed via these grants. There were 327 placements in Gozo. Funds for these placements total €4.3 million; 531 employers benefited from this scheme.

The EAP, which is co-financed by the European Social Fund, is aimed at disadvantaged jobseekers, including those aged under 25 and within two years of completing their full-time education.

Other individuals who may 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 people seeking employment who are also looking after dependants; those with secondary school education who were made redundant in the past six months, or have been served with a redundancy notice; people over 50; long-term registered unemployed; and people with disability.

The EAP has generated great interest among employers and job seekers, with the number of applications rising steadily every month. The ETC will be announcing further benefits in January.

More information is available by calling 2220 1217 or e-mailing eap.etc@gov.mt.