15 April 2009 – Employers swift to act on Purnell’s offer of recruitment subsidies
Nestor Healthcare Group, the Royal Mail, Poundland and Dunelm Mill are just a few of the 142 national companies working with Jobcentre Plus to discuss take up of the Government’s recruitment subsidy, which will help unemployed people of six months or more into employment.
The pioneering programme, which went live only last week, is already proving a hit with employers large and small, and gives businesses access to a recruitment subsidy of £1000 and training typically worth £1500 if they take on jobseekers who have been unemployed for six months or more.
Tomorrow (16 April) James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, will visit Kidd’s Distribution in Paisley, one of the employers taking up a recruitment subsidy.
Speaking ahead of his visit, James Purnell said:
“Employers have been swift to link-up with Jobcentre Plus to discuss how they might take up this offer.
“The economic downturn is making it hard for many employers to plan for their future employment needs. We are very pleased to be able to offer a package of support which will not only help employers fill their vacancies, but will also help jobseekers find sustainable work so it’s a win-win situation.”
Orla O’Connor, Head of Recruitment and Retention at Nestor Healthcare Group, said:
“We look forward to working in partnership with Jobcentre Plus through the recruitment subsidy scheme. We’ll be launching this in all our branches – around 100 – and will encourage all our managers to advertise recruitment in Jobcentres if they haven’t already done so. We are actively seeking care workers and branch staff across all areas of the UK given the successful growth in our business.”
Maurice Harbottle, Head of Recruitment Services at Royal Mail, said:
“Royal Mail already enjoys a great working relationship with Jobcentre Plus. Giving our support to the recruitment subsidy scheme is just a logical extension of that work.
“With Jobcentre Plus’ support we can focus our recruitment efforts on those candidates who are more likely to be disadvantaged in the current job market; unemployed for six months, or more, and claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA).
“Targeting and employing this group of people brings benefits to everyone; Royal Mail gets a committed employee, the individual gets the security of a steady paycheque and the economy gets money from taxes and employee spending.”
Sonia Sharples, Head of HR at Poundland, said:
“The recruitment subsidy will enable us to encourage all of our store managers to offer more people jobs.
“We will continue to recruit into our new stores, for which we have at least 30 planned for this financial year – creating approximately 1200 new jobs.”
Louise Barltrop, Head of Marketing and Public Relations at Dunelm Mill, said:
“Dunelm Mill have long supported the active recruitment of candidates who are claiming JSA, having worked closely with Jobcentre Plus over the past few years.
“We see the recruitment subsidy scheme as an excellent extension to this and are keen to encourage those who are long-term unemployed back into work as they have proven to be a great asset to Dunelm Mill.
“Not only will we be recruiting via this scheme but we will also be looking at offering suitable candidates the ability to develop their skills further, by helping them to work towards the Retail NVQ.”
Notes to Editors
- The enhanced support for people who have been out of work for six months or more which comes on stream today was announced by the Prime Minister at the employment summit on 12 January 2009. For more details see: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/mediacentre/pressreleases/2009/jan/emp124-120109.asp
- Most people are still getting back to work quickly – 75% of people move off Jobseeker’s Allowance within six months. But for those who don’t an enhanced offer is now available which includes:
- Personalised support from a Jobcentre Plus adviser who will work with customers to identify the steps appropriate to enable a swift return to work;
- A recruitment subsidy, or ‘golden hello’, for employers worth £2500 – which is made up of a £1000 subsidy plus access to up to £1500 worth of in-work training, dependent on location;
- Support for those who want to become self-employed with advice on creating a business plan and employment credit of £50 per week for up to 16 weeks so that they have financial support during the early days and months of trading;
- Access to 75,000 new work-focused training opportunities to help customers significantly increase their skills in order to enter work. The training, delivered on a part-time or full-time basis, will allow people to progress to a full qualification if they are in or out of work;
- Work-focused volunteering placements – to help JSA claimants develop or maintain skills whilst looking for a job. Third sector partners in England, Scotland and Wales will broker work-focused volunteering opportunities for JSA claimants interested in volunteering.
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