Jobs and a helping hand
Council offers a lifeline for professionals unable to work during the Covid-19 lockdown
Council offers a lifeline for professionals hit by lockdown
PROFESSIONALS unable to operate during the Covid-19 lockdown could be offered a lifeline by Jávea town hall as it looks to bolster the local economy.
The new move is aimed at people who could technically work but because of quarantine restrictions saw their income plummet. The council has already given a helping hand to those who are self-employed or part of small businesses that shut down during the crisis.
And the local authority is also looking to expand its own workforce, creating new jobs to help kick-start employment. A town hall spokesman explained the ‘financial aid’ would be offered to professionals in sectors that were not ‘obliged’ to close down during the state of emergency but saw trade drop ‘drastically’.
He said the council was working on details and the grants, to affected individuals and small businesses that lost at least 50% of their income, could be up €1,500.
One example quoted by the town hall was taxi drivers and it was envisaged the grants could help cover rent, invoicing, and consultancy.
The spokesman said Jávea had successfully applied for a €94,000 grant to help cover the cost of the initiative, and this was in addition to the €1.5 million set aside to support the economy and those unable to work during the crisis.
The council is also preparing a new jobs plan by employing people in its various departments based on technical and administrative qualifications rather than social need.
It is the second employment programme undertaken by the Jávea local authority. The first saw 34 people hired to reinforce teams working in forestry, construction, cleaning, and as caretakers for public buildings, an initiative with a budget of €500,000.
Mayor José Chulvi said these measures had unanimous support from all parties to ‘support the local economy in the months of uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 health crisis’.
Work is underway to identify the needs of town hall departments before drafting the plan with a specific budget. The aim is to recruit successful applicants in the first quarter of 2021.