13 September 2016
Following three years of JobsFest success in getting islanders into employment, Back to Work’s eight-week autumn initiative is to return.
JobsFest will run from Monday 3 October to Sunday 27 November and will again include an employer incentive and a series of training events designed to support people into work.
JobsFest Employer Incentive
Under the JobsFest Employer Incentive, the wages and Social Security contributions, worth over £2,000 are paid during the eight-week period to businesses hiring eligible jobseekers. It enables anyone who has been registered as unemployed for six months or more to be hired for this period at no financial cost to the business.
Last year over 50 new roles were filled using the JobsFest Employer Incentive, and over 65% of those were kept on by their employer after the incentive ended. JobsFest comes at a time of the year when there are traditionally fewer job vacancies at the end of the season. The timing of the initiative intends to bridge the gap between the end of summer seasonal jobs and the start of the busy Christmas period when many businesses would be expected to employ extra staff.
Job Match
A job match event will take place on Wednesday 21 September at Radisson Blu Hotel when employers can meet a range of candidates. The Social Security Assistant Minister, Deputy Graham Truscott, has encouraged employers to use it as an opportunity to meet eligible jobseekers.
Deputy Truscott said: “We understand that it takes time to train and develop new staff, and that’s one of the main reasons we’ve had a lot of success over the last three years with the JobsFest model. We know that offering employers a short-term wage incentive gives them the confidence to hire someone that they might not otherwise have considered, and we are encouraging employers to engage with Back to Work in the same way again this year. The job match event is a great opportunity for employers to meet candidates quickly and easily, and I hope that they take advantage of it.”
JobsFest events
As well as the incentive for employers, all registered jobseekers will soon receive a diary of JobsFest events which are all designed to help registered jobseekers gain new skills and fresh inspiration. The detailed programme of events are being run from Tuesday 4 October to Thursday 27 October and include:
- Industry specific talks including, working in finance, construction, retail, care and hospitality
- Workshops designed to help jobseekers improve their CVs and interview skills
- Confidence-building sessions and personal development.
Employers wishing to take advantage of the JobsFest Incentive and book onto the Job Match event on 21 September can call Back to Work Recruitment on 447411 or email backtowork@gov.je.
gov.je