The Employment and Training Corporation together with Malta Enterprise last June launched a scheme for companies in Gozo which recruit unemployed persons with different difficulties.

This scheme offers a subsidy of half the wage and half the National Insurance paid by the employer for a period of 52 weeks. This subsidy is given to employers who keep their employees during the previous year and throughout the 52 weeks of the scheme. Apart from this, every company was eligible after taking on five persons from 1 January 2007.

Recently, as was announced in the budget for 2008: “The scheme for employment assistance in Gozo, Gozo Employment Aid Scheme, was launched this year with the aim of stimulating job creation in Gozo by financing a substantial part of the expenses of employers who recruit unemployed persons.

“The scheme was re-designed and the requirement of recruiting a minimum of five new workers was removed.”

This modification was introduced in October 2007, just after the budget announcement for 2008. Eight companies in Gozo, which between them employ 51 persons – 30 females and 21 males – benefited from the scheme. These companies will benefit from a subsidy of e226,087. There are also a number of companies which are applying to employ another 50 persons in Gozo while others are showing an interest.

In the near future, through the Structural Funds of the European Social Fund, the corporation will launch a similar scheme, which throughout the next seven years will offer another e12 million in subsidy for employers.