Business grant program for the employment of unemployed people aged 30 and over in the Least Developed Regions (LDP) of the country with an emphasis on the long-term unemployed and the unemployed of older ages (3rd CYCLE)

The programme

The aim of the action is to promoting employment, particularly for the long-term unemployed and older unemployed whose persistent unemployment makes it difficult for them to re-enter the labour market by creating 7,000 new jobs for unemployed people aged 30 and over in Less Developed Regions of the country (An. Macedonia and Thrace, Western Greece, Epirus, Thessaly and Central Macedonia)

O Third round of subsidies for 7,000 new jobs for unemployed people aged 30 and over in Regions East. Macedonia and Thrace, Western Greece, Epirus, Thessaly and Central Macedonia, co-funded by Greece and the European Union ( European Social Fund ), through the Operational Programme "Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning".

Who it concerns

Private enterprises and private sector employers in general that carry out regular economic activity and operate in the Less Developed Regions of the country; and have not reduced their staff in the 3 months prior to the application and have not received more than 200.000 € of state aid in the previous 3 years (current and 2 previous years).

Beneficiaries of the Action

Unemployed persons aged 30 years and over registered in the OAED's register for a period of at least one month at the date of their nomination by the KPA2.

Conditions for participation

A prerequisite for the inclusion of a company in the action for the employment of unemployed persons is that it has not made a reduction in staff during the last quarter before the date of submission of the funding application (calendar).

If the number of staff at the start date of the quarter under examination is the same as at the date of submission of the application - irrespective of whether there are any changes in the number of staff during that period - the enterprise may be included in the measure. The above requirement of no reduction in staff must also be met for the period from the date of submission of the application to the date of the decision approving the undertaking's participation in the action.

As staff reduction is considered:

a. the termination of the employment contract,
b. the change of employment status from full-time to part-time or rotating employment,
c. the voluntary exit that is done at the initiative of the employer, through programs to provide mainly financial incentives for voluntary exit,
d. voluntary withdrawal, which is considered as a termination of the contract, in accordance with Art. 38 of Law 4488/2017 (A΄137),
e. the suspension of an employee,
f. the exercise of the right to withdraw from work under Chapter 325 of the Labour Code.

In these cases, in order to qualify for the action for the employment of unemployed persons, the enterprise must cover the reduction in the number of employees by the date of submission of the application for funding. If the enterprise has made a reduction in staff during the period following the date of submission of the application for funding, it may be included in the action, provided that it has covered the reduction by the date of the assessment.

Program Budget

The budget of the Action Programme for the employment of unemployed people aged 30 years and over in the Less Developed Regions of the country with emphasis on long-term unemployed and older unemployed (CIRCLE 3), amounts to 44.000.000€.

Amount of subsidy

The programme is addressed to private enterprises, the duration of the subsidy is 12 months and the amounts of the monthly salary subsidy and social security contributions for the recruitment of unemployed persons in new full-time positionsare as follows:

• 473 € per month (5.676 € per year) for the unemployed aged up to 49 years old
• 568 € per month (6.816 € per year) for the unemployed aged 50 and over
• 615 € per month (7.380 € per year) for the long-term unemployed
• 710 € per month (8.520 € per year) for the long-term unemployed aged 50 and over

The maximum amount of grant that a single enterprise can receive from the action, may not exceed the amount of 200.000 €, or 100.000 € when operating in the road transport sector, subject to the cumulation conditions of Reg. EU 1407/2013.

Expenses subsidized

Businesses receive a grant for each person covered by the action from the date of recruitment for a period of 12 months.

Eligible costs are given in the form of a grant and concern the wage and non-wage costs of the beneficiary for 12 months of full-time employment including gross monthly wages, employer's insurance contributions as well as Christmas and Easter bonuses and holiday allowances.

The programme is addressed to private enterprises, the duration of the subsidy is 12 months and the amounts of the monthly salary subsidy and social security contributions for the recruitment of unemployed persons in new full-time positionsare as follows:

• 473 € per month (5.676 € per year) for the unemployed aged up to 49 years old
• 568 € per month (6.816 € per year) for the unemployed aged 50 and over
• 615 € per month (7.380 € per year) for the long-term unemployed
• 710 € per month (8.520 € per year) for the long-term unemployed aged 50 and over

Important dates

The deadline for the submission of applications for funding for the 3rd cycle is Monday 31 January at 13:00.

The application for funding is submitted electronically to the State Aid Information System (PASKE) of the Ministry of Development and Investment , at the following address:  www.ependyseis.gr/mis  by selecting the relevant indicator.

Useful files

28/01/2021
Προκήρυξη Δράσης

27/01/2022
Press release for the start of the third cycle