Applications for the new programme run by the Public Employment Service (DYPA) open at the beginning of the week. The programme aims to create 27,494 new full-time jobs, which will be subsidised for 12 months.
The programme is aimed at unemployed people aged 30 and over, with particular emphasis on groups that continue to face greater difficulties accessing and re-entering the labour market.
The initiative has a total budget of €279.6 million and covers the whole of Greece. Its aim is to expand employment opportunities while supporting businesses that want to grow their workforce.
Funding comes from the Greek state and the European Social Fund Plus, through the “Human Resources and Social Cohesion 2021-2027” programme.
Who is eligible – How much is the subsidy?
The programme focuses on social groups that face greater barriers to re-entering the labour market, specifically unemployed women aged 30 and over and unemployed men aged 50 and over. A higher subsidy rate is available for both groups.
Based on a unit cost of €1,313 a month, the subsidy is as follows:
Unemployed women aged 30 and over and unemployed men aged 50 and over: 75% of the unit cost is covered, or €984.75 a month.
Unemployed men aged 30-49: 50% of the unit cost is covered, or €656.50 a month.
The subsidy covers part of the wage and non-wage costs of the new job for 12 months of full-time employment. Eligible costs include gross monthly pay, employers’ social security contributions, Christmas and Easter bonuses, and holiday pay.
Which businesses can take part?
Recruitment will be carried out by private businesses and private-sector employers engaged in regular economic activity anywhere in the country.
A key condition for joining the programme is that they must not have reduced their workforce during the last calendar quarter before the funding application is finalised.
Gianna Chormova: Targeted initiatives to support employment
Speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) ahead of the launch of the new programme, DYPA governor Gianna Chormova highlighted a shift towards more targeted employment measures, with an emphasis on groups facing the greatest difficulties in re-entering the labour market.
“The launch of the new job subsidy programme for 27,494 unemployed people puts DYPA’s new, consistent strategy into practice: designing and implementing initiatives that are fully targeted at the real needs of citizens and the economy,” she said.
As she noted, “we are leaving behind the blanket policies of the past”, with the focus now, she said, on women and people aged over 50, through increased incentives.
The DYPA governor added that the next programmes are already being planned, with the aim of providing opportunities for quality employment and supporting Greek businesses.
With information from ANA-MPA