Almost 10,000 stand to benefit from ‘tapered’ dole money

The government is publishing a questionnaire for persons currently out of a job in a bid to understand the reasons for their unemployment and to help them find work.

Education and employment minister Evarist Bartolo announced the measure as part of the 'Making Work Pay' initiative, saying the government was committed to increasing the number of active workers through so called 'make-work-pay' policies.

"We want to create measures and initiatives which will help attract people to work," Bartolo said. "We want to find out if it is the intention of these persons to work at all, understand precisely what is restricting these persons from working, and delve in to other factors such as what income they are striving for," he said.

Bartolo said that the current social security rules are also to be amended to allow for the gradual tapering, or reduction of social benefits when an unemployed beneficiary takes up work.

In the first year of employment, the beneficiary will retain 65% of the benefit, reduced to 45% in the second tear, and 25 % in the third year.

Bartolo said that in all there were about 9,555 persons presently eligible to benefit from tapering - 4,994 who receive social assistance, 2,467 single unmarried parents who receive assistance, and a further 2,094 who are on unemployed assistance.

"If this schemes is successful, the results could contribute not only towards increasing the work force in Malta, but also help to decrease poverty levels in the country," he said.

Bartolo said that in parallel with this scheme, the government would be launching a consultation document, addressed to the private sector, so that any companies that show interest in coordinating with government under this initiative, by training and providing job placement, would be offered incentives.

The deadline for the consultation document to be handed in is April 25th 2014 and it, as well as the questionnaire, may be found at [email protected].