Many businesses may firstly think of Department of Social Protection as the provider of supports and information for jobseekers. The Department also works with businesses across the country, through its employer engagement teams, providing a suite of supports to help businesses find the best staff and help businesses provide support to employees with disabilities. #allaboutjobs has previously profiled JobBridge, the national internship scheme, financial incentives to hire staff under the JobsPlus scheme, and the recruitment service JobsIreland.
This week we're highlighting the range of other supports are also available for employers... read on for a snapshot of some of these supports.
Assistance recruiting staff from outside Ireland
Having difficulty finding the right staff in Ireland? The European Employment Service (EURES) provides an international recruitment service to employers having difficulty recruiting staff in Ireland with for example, specific language skills. EURES also assists Irish based jobseekers interested in employment opportunities in Europe.
A network of more than 900 EURES advisers across Europe provides information, advice and recruitment/placement job-matching services for the benefit of workers and employers. Ireland has 16 specially trained EURES Advisers located around the country in Department of Social Protection offices.
At any one time, there are more than 1 million vacancies displayed on the EURES Job Mobility portal. EURES provides a number of useful supports for employers:
- Job and Advice Fairs - EURES Ireland organises a series of European Jobs & Advice Fairs around the country every year as well as various recruitment projects on behalf of Irish and European Employers. EURES has been working closely with a number of Irish based companies, to help satisfy their specific skill needs including ICT, language skills and nursing/medical.
- Your First EURES Job - This scheme offers supports for Jobseekers in the 18-35 age group who take up work in another EU country including financial supports in the form of travel allowance, settling in allowances and language courses.
Financial supports are also available to employers who employ a young person 18-35 years of age from another EU/EEA country e.g. financial support for language training, job induction or in-house training.
Supports for employees with disabilities
The Workplace Equipment Adaptation Grant(WEAG) is available to employers in the private sector who need to adapt equipment or the workplace to accommodate an employee with a disability. This scheme applies to the additional costs of adapting workplace equipment or provision of equipment arising from the individual’s disability, and provides a contribution up to €6,350. It can also be used to upgrade adaptive equipment which may have been funded previously. It may be applied for by either the employer or the employee, for new or existing employees or for self-employment.
More information on the grant is available here.
The Employee Retention Grant is a grant available to help private sector employers retain employees that have acquired an illness, condition, or impairment which may undermine their continued employability. The grant helps employers retain the employee in their current position or retrain them for another position within the business. Funding is available for both the assessment and implementation of a retention strategy for a max total of up to €15,000.
More information on the grant is available here.
The Disability Awareness Support Scheme is a grant support for staff development programmes that deal with disability etiquette for employers in relation to their staff and customers. The scheme assists the integration of people with disabilities into the workforce. Funding of up to 90% of development costs is available in the first year and up to 80% of costs in subsequent years with an annual limit of €20,000.
More information on the scheme is available here.
The Wage Subsidy Scheme provides financial incentives to employers to employ people with a disability who work a minimum of 21 hours per week. There are three stands of support available and the employer can benefit from one or all strands depending on the number of employees with a disability recruited.
Information on the three strands can be found here.
The EmployAbility Service is an employment and recruitment service to assist people with a disability to secure and maintain a job in the open labour market. The service provides a range of supports to employers and people with a disability through Job Coaches, including advice and support to employers.
More information about the service is available here.
For more information
For information on the range of supports for employers provided through Department of Social Protection, see their employer's pack.
Contact your local Employer Engagement Officer.