This scheme was launched on the 24th of January 2023 by Jobs Plus.
The Scheme is co-financed by the European Social Fund+ (ESF+), the Maltese Government and the Employers and falls under Malta’s Operational Programme Fostering the socioeconomic wellbeing of society through the creation of opportunities for all and investment in human resources and skills’ for the 2021-2027 Programming Period. Through this Scheme, funds are awarded to Employers for the recruitment of disadvantaged, severely disadvantaged and disabled persons.
Employers applying for the A2E Scheme whose application is found eligible will receive a subsidy of €110.93 (full-time) / €55.47 (part-time) per week per recruit engaged. In the case of registered disabled persons, a subsidy of €166.40 (full-time) / €83.20 (part-time) per week.
To be eligible for the ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT (A2E) SCHEME 2021 – 2027 the participant/employee must fall under any one of the below-mentioned Target Groups:
Disadvantaged Persons
| Target Group | Client Group | Duration of Financial Assistance |
| 1 | Any person of age 24 and over who has been unemployed / inactive for the previous 6 months. | 52 weeks |
| 2 | Any unemployed person of age between 15 to 24 who previously participated and completed any of the Jobsplus Schemes and is recruited for the first-time following completion of such initiatives. | 52 weeks |
| 3 | Any person who is living as a single adult who has one or more dependants and is not in full-time employment | 52 weeks |
| 4 | Any person of age 24 and over who has not attained an upper secondary educational or vocational qualification (ISCED 3), who does not have a job. | 52 weeks |
| 5 | Any person older than 50 years who does not have a job. | 52 weeks |
Severely Disadvantaged Persons
| Target Group | Client Group | Duration of Financial Assistance |
| 6 | Any person who has been unemployed / inactive for the previous 12 months and who belongs to one of the disadvantaged target groups (3) to (5). | 104 weeks |
| 7 | Any person of age 24 and over who has been unemployed / inactive for the previous 24 months. | 104 weeks |
Disabled Persons
| Target Group | Client Group | Duration of Financial Assistance |
| 8 | Any person who is a registered disabled person under national law[1]. | 156 weeks |
Regarding the application process, the employer and the applicant must submit the A2E documents via the online portal electronically, either pre-employment or within one month from the date of engagement of the newly engaged employee.
Should you wish any assistance with respect to such a scheme or more information, kindly contact Christopher Caruana on [email protected]