The Australian Government’s new Wage Connect Subsidy has assisted 516 long term unemployed Australians to a paying job this month.

 

35 000 new wage subsidies are being made available over the next four years to encourage employers to take on job seekers who have been unemployed for more than two years.

 

Minister for Employment Participation Kate Ellis said that the Wage Connect Subsidy was about giving employers the incentive to give an unemployed Australian a chance, when they might not otherwise have been given one.


Wage Connect helps employers to offset their initial training and labour costs and remove barriers that may have stopped them taking on staff in the past.

 

Wage subsidies of around $6000 are paid to employers who take on and retain people Part of the Building Australia’s Future Workforce initiative, the Wage Connect subsidy equates to the average rate of Newstart Allowance over 26 weeks.

 

Eligible employers will receive around $5 700 for each job placement, or around $220 each week (pre GST) to offset the costs of wages and training for new employees for the first six months they are in the job.

 

The Australian Government will invest almost $95 million over the next four years in the Wage Connect subsidy and $8.5 billion in broader employment services.

 

Employers who would like to learn more about Wage Connect can visit www.deewr.gov.au/wageconnectsubsidy or contact a local employment services provider on 13 17 15.