Call 3.1. launched for the Access to Employment (A2E) Scheme aimed to facilitate further the employment of certain target groups

The Access to Employment (A2E) Scheme aims to provide employment aid to enterprises in Malta and in Gozo, promoting the recruitment of the certain target groups of jobseekers and inactive persons. Call 3.1 under the A2E Scheme, commencing as from January 2021, promotes the integration of certain job seekers as well as unemployed and inactive persons, and will be facilitated by:

• Enhancing labour market access opportunities and providing work experience to those furthest away from gainful occupation;
• Bridging the gap between labour market supply and demand; and
• Increasing social cohesion.

The grant provided under this Scheme will be awarded on a first-come first-served basis, subject to annual capped amount of €1.5 million and the total budget of €4 million.

Call 3.1 under the A2E Scheme

Simplified measures under Call 3.1 mean that now one can benefit even for employees who may have already been engaged with the employer prior to the submission of the A2E application.

Employers applying for the A2E Scheme will be eligible to receive a subsidy of €104.50 per week per new recruit engaged, for a period of 52 weeks or 104 weeks, depending on the target group. For registered disabled persons, a subsidy of €156.50 per week for a maximum of 156 weeks is provided.

Employers should note that for 104-week grant agreements, the last full agreement will be signed in October 2021 given that the Scheme will come to an end by September 2023. For 156-week grant agreements, the last full subsidy period was for agreements that were signed in October 2020.

Eligibility Criteria – Call 3.1 under the A2E Scheme

Target Groups

The following target groups refer to disadvantaged persons, with an eligible assistance duration of 52 weeks:

1. Persons of age 24 and over, unemployed/inactive for the previous six (6) months;
2. Unemployed persons being 15 to 24 years old, who previously participated and completed the Youth Guarantee/Work Exposure/ Traineeship Scheme, and is recruited for the first time following their completion;
3. A single adult, having one or more dependents and not in full-time employment;
4. Unemployed person, 24 years of age or older, who has not attained an upper secondary education or vocational qualification (ISCED 3); and
5. Any person older than 50 years of age who does not have a job.

The following target groups refer to severely disadvantaged persons, with their eligible duration of assistance being that of 104 weeks:

1. Unemployed/inactive persons for the previous 12 months, during which said individual has not benefitted from a traineeship with the Undertaking;
2. Any person of age 24 and over unemployed/inactive for the previous 24 months, during which said individual has not benefitted from a traineeship with the Undertaking.

Disabled persons are eligible for 156 weeks of assistance on the premise that they are registered disabled persons.

Employers

The following refer to the eligibility criteria of employers wishing to apply for the Scheme:

1. Complete Documentation
2. Employers having an economic activity irrespective of their legal form when recruiting new employees.
3. In the case of private enterprises, posts need to be vacant not due to redundancy reasons.
4. Should the employer have submitted a written application prior to engaging the A2E participant, aid shall be considered to have an incentive effect.
5. The eligible territory for this scheme is the whole legal territory of the Maltese Islands.
6. Jobsplus will be checking that every applicant Undertaking is financially sound. Applicants can be considered as ineligible for funding if they fall below certain thresholds.

For all target groups, the Employer must retain in employment the recruited person for a further period (ranging from 4 to 12 months depending on the duration of the subsidy) following the subsidised period. Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Head of Business Development and Advisory on rdelia@ksimalta.com.