Clare employers slow to take up job PRSI incentive scheme

ONLY six employers in Clare have been awarded exemptions in respect of eight employees under the Employer Job PRSI incentive scheme so far this year, latest figures have shown.

 

The Citizens’ Information Service in Clare is drawing attention to the low take-up of the scheme and is encouraging employers to get involved.

The Employer Job PRSI incentive scheme allows an employer who employs an additional member of staff, who had been unemployed for six months or more, to be exempted from paying employers’ PRSI for 18 months.

Paul Woulfe, manager of the Citizens’ Information Service in Clare said, “Many employers throughout the county may not be aware of this as to date this year, only six employers in Clare have been awarded exemptions in respect of eight employees. A total of 21 employers were awarded exemptions in respect of 35 employees in 2011.

“The take-up should be greater and employers may avail of the incentive scheme until the end of 2012 but a lot of people would not know about this initiaitive.”

He explained, “The amount of PRSI savings to an employer depends on the PRSI band, which applies to the specific employee but, for someone being paid €350 per week, an employer would save €1,160 per year.

“The job must be new and additional, be for at least 30 hours a week and last for at least six months. The purpose of the scheme is to support job creation and counter the drift of people into long-term unemployment and welfare dependency.”

Mr Woulfe noted that to avail of the scheme, the person employed must have been getting one of the following social welfare payments for a period of at least six months, which include Job Seekers Allowance or Benefit, Disabilty Allowance and One-parent Family Payment. Time spent on JobBridge or the work placement programmeis also reckonable for eligibility purposes. You can employ an eligible person directly from either of these schemes once the required 156 days criteria has been satisfied.

Eligibility criteria for the scheme has been further broadened and amended to allow time spent in casual employment count towards the qualifying period for the scheme where a person is progressing to a new full-time job offered by a different employer.

Department of Social Protection customers supported in self-employment via the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance or the Short-Term Enterprise Allowance schemes can also avail of this incentive where they find themselves in a position to expand their businesses.

For information booklets, application forms and more information from the Employer Job (PRSI) Incentive Scheme section LoCall 1890 927 999, local Social Welfare Office or Citizens’ Information Centre. You can also logon to citizensinformation.ie for more details or the website www.jobbridge.ie which provides full details of the scheme.