Below are details of the new Job Plus scheme launched by the Government.

The aim of the program is to get peple back to work into more secure jobs (12 months plus).

Employers decide the rate of pay and they in turn get  agrant for doing this (starting at €7500).

More details below…

Introduction

JobsPlus is a new employer incentive which encourages and rewards employers who employ jobseekers on the Live Register. This incentive replaces the Revenue Job Assist and Employer Job (PRSI) Exemption Scheme from 1 July 2013. It is designed to encourage employers and businesses to employ people who have been out of work for long periods. Eligible employers who recruit full-time employees on or after 1 July 2013 may apply for the incentive, which will operate on a pilot basis for a period of 6 months.

The Department of Social Protection will pay the incentive to the employer monthly in arrears over a 2-year period. It will provide 2 levels of regular cash payments:

• A payment of €7,500 for each person recruited who has been unemployed for more than 12 but less than 24 months
• A payment of €10,000 for each person recruited who has been unemployed for more than 24 months

Rules

Employers

JobsPlus is available to all employers in the private (including commercial semi-state), community, not-for-profit and voluntary sectors. It is not open to public service employers. Employers can avail of Jobsplus when filling positions that arise as a consequence of natural turnover.

Employers must meet the following conditions:

• The business must be registered as a PAYE employer with the Revenue Commissioners
• The employer must be compliant with Irish tax and employment laws. Employers will be asked to give an officer of the Department of Social Protection permission to check your status with the Revenue Commissioners and to obtain a Tax Clearance Certificate using Revenue’s on line service.
• The employer must offer full-time employment of over 30 hours per week, spanning at least 4 days per week. The eligible employee must be on payroll and subject to PAYE and PRSI.
• Employers must give details of workforce prior to application, where an increase in the work force is not evident employers will be asked to provide additional information to the Department to support the application.

You can find read more information for employers in this list of frequently asked questions for JobsPlus employers.

Employees

Eligible employees must:

• Be getting Jobseeker’s Benefit (JB) or Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA), or signing on for credits.

And

• Be at least 12 months* (312 days) on the Live Register in the previous 18 months to qualify as an eligible employee for the €7,500 incentive

Or

• Be at least 24 months* (624 days) on the Live Register in the previous 30 months to qualify as an eligible employee for the higher incentive of €10,000

*Periods spent on certain activation schemes, or time spent in prison may count this time towards the qualifying period once entitlement to one of the qualifying payments outlined above is re-established prior to commencing employment. Jobseekers’ payments paid in conjunction with periods of casual employment may count towards satisfying the qualifying period, as will breaks in jobseekers payments as a result of periods of illness during which Illness Benefit is paid.

People taking part in internships under JobBridge and the Work Placement Programme (WPP) who were getting a qualifying payment prior to their internship may be employed directly from these schemes once the required qualifying period and conditions are satisfied.

Other supports

Family Income Supplement: New employees under the JobsPlus scheme may be entitled to get Family Income Supplement.

Medical card: People who have been unemployed for at least 12 months may keep their medical card for 3 years when they take up new employment.

Rent and Mortgage Interest Supplement: Rent and Mortgage Interest Supplement are not payable where a jobseeker or spouse are in full-time employment (30 hours or more a week). People who are already getting Rent Supplement may be able to keep it, subject to a means test, while they working full time, as long as they are eligible for housing support under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS). People already getting Mortgage Interest Supplement may be able to keep it while working full time as long as the gross household income does not exceed €317.43 a week.

You can read more information for jobseekers in this list of frequently asked questions for Jobsplus employees.

Rates

If approved, the employer will receive the following payments over a two-year period for each eligible person they recruit and retain in employment:

Payment will be made monthly in arrears by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) over a 24 month period. It will not be taxable for income or corporation tax purposes.

How to apply

Employers

If an employer decides to recruit an additional employee, they can log on to jobsplus.ie and complete an online application form giving, for example, the name of company, size of workforce, bank details and economic sector of company. Once this is submitted an officer of the Department of Social Protection (DSP) will review and check the tax clearance certificate is in order and email the employer if it is approved.

Once eligibility is confirmed by the DSP an employer may start to recruit, either by contacting their local Intreo centre or employment services office for details of suitably experienced and qualified candidates for their vacancy. They could also register the vacancy with Jobs Ireland.

Candidate employees

Once preliminary interviews have been conducted and candidates have been shortlisted employers should then ask these candidates to log on to jobsplus.ie to check their eligibility for JobsPlus. The DSP will process their request and verify eligibility by posting a two-part JP1 form to the candidate. Part A of the JP1 form will confirm the employee’s eligibility and rate of payment for a prospective employer, Part B is to be completed by the employer if they choose to employ the candidate. The candidate should bring the two-part JP1 form confirming eligibility to the employer for consideration.

When an employer identifies the most suitable candidate for the position, they should complete part B of the JP1 form for that candidate, sign the declaration and return to the DSP. The JP1 form will be processed by the Department and once all conditions are satisfied employers will be notified by e-mail that they have been awarded the incentive with regard to the employee specified on the JP1 form.

Once the candidate is offered a position they should contact the DSP to close their jobseeker’s claim. This can be done on line at welfare.ie or by contacting their local Intreo Centre or social welfare office. Payment of JobsPlus can only start once the DSP confirms that the new employee’s jobseeker claim has closed.

Review

If the application is refused the employer can request a review of the decision by a higher officer in the Department of Social Protection.