EUR 390 million employment scheme for over-30s launched in Hungary

A HUF 150 billion (EUR 390m) employment support scheme aimed to help job-seekers over the age of 30 is available from Thursday, the state secretary in charge of employment policy said.

Employment support scheme launched

Sándor Czomba told public television M1 that the scheme is expected to reach out to 77,000 people, to support 50,000, and to involve 23,000 in training.

There are 120,000 inactive Hungarians who could hold a job, and the number of registered jobseekers is around 230,000, he added.

The scheme has five elements: wage subsidy available up to a monthly 250,000 forints, accommodation subsidy up to a monthly 186,000 forints, travel subsidy for commuting, training subsidy, and services to assist people to become mentally prepared to return to work after a lengthy period of unemployment.

The target group are the long-term unemployed, people living in underdeveloped regions, those aged over 50 and those that hold only primary education, he said. Subsidies will be available for six months for disadvantaged people and four months for those without a disadvantage.

Czomba said the employment rate among 20 to 60 year-olds in Hungary is 81 percent, which is the seventh best in the European Union. The aim is to increase it to 85 percent, to be in the top three in the EU, he added.

Read also:

• Hungarian government to spend huge amounts on worker housing
• Guest workers come to Hungary even though they could earn more in Western Europe