Your start-up business needs to bring a new team member on board, but before you go spending money on recruitment ads and agencies, you need to read this…

Your company may be eligible for Jobs Plus. Never heard of it? Well in short, pretty much all private sector businesses in Ireland can receive funding towards staffing! You just need to know where to look and what’s involved.

This is a Governmental scheme that was born out of the Action Plan for Jobs a few years back and incentivises businesses to consider employing staff who have been on the Live Register for 12 months.  Some part-time workers also qualify for the scheme.

Why should you consider this? Well, for a start, it’s a hefty sum. Between €7,500 and €10,000. In real terms that’s spread over 24 months but you’d get roughly around €100 a week towards their wages or training or whatever you need it for… it’s up to you. Imagine the scenario: You have shortlisted 2 similarly skilled candidates. One will cost potentially thousands in Recruiter’s fees, the other is free & comes with a grant? Who do you pick? It’s a no-brainer.

There are always some very capable and well qualified candidates currently unemployed, and if you select one it could be a big win-win for you. Not only does your business expand but at a lower cost. And it really is vital for growing businesses to keep down costs as much as possible.

You can check your eligibility here: https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/jobsplus-employer.aspx

Employee can check here: https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/jobsplus-employee.aspx

And if accepted, your candidate will receive a JP1 form you can stamp and date from the day they start. The grant is paid by the government straight into your company bank account and lasts up to 2 years as long as you are employing your candidate for 30 hours per week or more. Your local Intreo office will have more details if required and can direct you towards accessing those eligible candidates. It won’t last forever so take advantage of the opportunity while it exists.

So how does any of this relate to Mind My Business? I hear you cry. Well, it doesn’t. Hope you weren’t expecting a big Sales pitch because there isn’t one. We just want to support small Irish businesses and sharing useful information that might strengthen you as a growing business helps to achieve that. 😊