Support to get older Australians working

Sunshine Coast businesses now have the opportunity to receive assistance from the Australian Government if they employ older Australians.
Member for Fisher Mal Brough today said that the Restart Wage Subsidy is an initiative that will help people aged 50 or older get a job.
“As part of my recently launched Operation Bounce Back campaign I am aiming to raise awareness of the Federal Government’s employment initiatives including Restart,” Mr Brough said.
“We know two things. We know that there are clear benefits of hiring and keeping older workers due to their maturity and experience. However we also know that older workers can remain unemployed for long periods if they lose their job.
“It’s important that we as a nation do not let middle-aged people drift into unemployment for a decade or more before retirement when they still have a significant contribution to make.
“The Federal Government’s Restart programme aims to help to address the barriers older Australians face when looking for a job by more than tripling the previous incentive announced by the Government for employers to hire mature-age workers,” Mr Brough said.
Under Restart, eligible employers will receive an initial $3000 if they hire a full-time mature-age job seeker who has been unemployed and on income support for six months — including the age or disability support pension — and employ that person for at least six months.
Once that job seeker has been working for the same employer for 12 months, the employer will receive another payment of $3000. The employer will then receive a further $2000 once the same job seeker has been with them for 18 months and another $2000 at two years.
It is available on a pro rata basis where employers take on part-time workers for a minimum of 15 hours per week.
“I encourage all Sunshine Coast employers to look closely at Restart and see how they can take advantage of this generous incentive,” Mr Brough said.
Restart has been allocated $524.8 million over four years and could benefit up to 32,000 mature-aged job seekers each year.
Restart is one of four initiatives announced on 1 July 2014 that reinforces the Government’s commitment to boosting employment across Australia. Other programmes include the Job Commitment Bonus, Relocation Assistance to Take Up a Job, and Work for the Dole.
For more information on Restart visit: http://www.employment.gov.au/restart-wage-subsidy
For more information on how Job Services Australia can help businesses with their recruitment needs visit: http://www.employment.gov.au/how-job-services-australia-can-help-businesses-0
For more information on Operation Bounce Back and other Federal Government employment initiatives visit: http://malbrough.com.au