22 December 2014
The JobsFest Employer Incentive has resulted in employment for almost 50 people who had not worked at all in 2014.
Under the incentive, which ran from 6 October to 30 November, Social Security paid the wages and social security contributions for eligible jobseekers hired by Jersey businesses.
During the eight weeks, 78 locally-qualified jobseekers who had been out of work for the whole of 2014 secured roles. After the States financial incentive ended, 48 of the jobseekers continued to be employed and it is hoped that the many of the remainder will gain further employment shortly.
Confidence to employ
The Social Security Minister, Deputy Susie Pinel, said: “The JobsFest Employer Incentive gave businesses the confidence to employ people that they may not otherwise have hired. It proves that our strategy works, and that giving employers an incentive to hire someone who has been out of work can lead to that person becoming employed and no longer reliant on the support of the States.
“‘I believe that JobsFest was a positive experience, even for those jobseekers whose employment did not continue after the incentive ended; they still have the experience of work, which can be a huge psychological boost; their prospects have been enhanced; and their skills and experience have improved. They are in a much stronger position to find work as a result.”
Free JobsFest events
In addition to the employer incentive, free events were run during JobsFest for everyone in Jersey who was actively seeking work.
More than 1,000 bookings were made to attend the events, which were all designed to give jobseekers new skills and fresh inspiration. At least one was held each working day, including:
- networking meetings hosted by local employers
- workshops designed to help jobseekers improve their CVs and interview skills
- confidence-building sessions
- job searching events
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