€10,000 incentive to take on over-50s lures 200 employers in year
MORE than 200 employers got a €10,000 subsidy to take on over-50s under a Government scheme that tackles ageism in the workforce.
The Department of Social Protection revealed that 219 employers availed of the payment that was announced in last year’s Budget.
Employers can apply for the payment under the JobsPlus scheme that is designed to find work for those on the dole for over a year.
The department decided to boost payments for older workers after research found they are underrepresented on the scheme.
There are now 600 workers who are over 50 benefiting from various subsidies under the scheme.
The over-50s subsidy was boosted in January 1 this year following a budget announcement by Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty.
Previously, €7,500 was paid for recruiting an employee who was out of work for up to two years, and €10,000 for someone unemployed for over two years.
The department said there were 7,069 people on the JobsPlus scheme at the end of last month, with the 600 over-50s making up 8pc of this figure.
The department said there was “no specific target set” in terms of the number it hoped to help by boosting the subsidy as JobsPlus is a “demand-led scheme”.
However, a previous report by the department found the over-50s are underrepresented because there were less than 10pc in this age bracket.
The latest CSO figures show there are 86,406 people who are long-term unemployed.
A previous department report estimated that about 40pc of the longer-term unemployed are in this age group.
Based on this, there would be 34,562 people over 50 among the long-term unemployed, so the 600 supported by JobsPlus would represent just 2pc.
Gerard Scully, of Age Action, said it welcomes the €10,000 subsidy as it helps create employment for older people.
“It does encourage employers to take on people that they wouldn’t normally take on otherwise,” he said. “I think it gets worse the older you get and certainly in your 60s.
“It is difficult to prove that someone is not getting a job based on their age but I think in a full employment market, people in their 50s will find it easier to get work.”
Mr Scully said he believes the problem is worst in information technology as employers seem to believe it is a young person’s field. “It’s a perception rather than the reality,” he said. “Experience is often valuable in that area.”
Ms Doherty has said there is a real challenge in getting older people back into the labour market.
‘It does encourage employers to take on people they wouldn’t normally take on’