Four new incentive schemes, totalling €18 million, have been approved to support the employment of groups facing labour market barriers, including women, young people, and those over 50.

Announced by the finance ministry’s general directorate for development and overseen by the labour department, the schemes recently received Cabinet approval and are funded under the EU-backed programme Thalia 2021-2027.

The aim is to create 2,110 new jobs, promoting social integration and combating poverty, discrimination and exclusion, while fostering sustainable employment and boosting economic competitiveness.

Specifically, the first scheme, with a €4 million budget, offers financial incentives to employers to hire inactive women through flexible working arrangements. It targets women who have been out of the labour market for years and face significant barriers to returning, aiming to create 470 new jobs.

The scheme also supports a better balance between family and professional commitments by requiring flexible contracts.

The second scheme, backed by €7 million, subsidises the recruitment of 820 unemployed women, promoting gender equality and boosting female participation in the workforce.

The third scheme, funded with €4 million, focuses on unemployed individuals over 50, incentivising employers to create 470 jobs to foster equal employment opportunities for this age group.

The fourth scheme targets young people aged 15 to 29 who are neither in work nor education or training. With a €3 million budget covering 350 positions, it aims to provide flexible employment arrangements that offer vital first work experience tailored to young people’s needs.

All four schemes share a common element: wage subsidies granted to employers, covering part of the salary cost for ten months of continuous employment.

Employers are required to retain the employee for an additional two months after the subsidy ends.

Employers can apply to join the scheme and receive grant payments through the labour department’s online grant schemes’ platform. Applications opened on 5 September 2025 and will remain open until the budget is exhausted or until the Department announces the scheme’s closure.