Labour Ministry to Launch EU-Funded Employment Support Project

Presov, May 1 (TASR) - The Labour Ministry will launch a new employment support programme called 'Right to First Employment 2', Labour Minister Erik Tomas stated at a Voice-SD briefing in Precov on Thursday. According to the minister, this is a continuation of the successful pilot project 'Right to First Employment' launched last year, which created 1,830 jobs, mainly for young people. "This time, the project will no longer be funded from state funds, but from EU funds – with no limits on the amount of money or the number of jobs," he said. The condition will once again be that the person must be registered as unemployed for at least one month, or three months for university graduates. "If such a person also meets the second condition, namely that they have not worked continuously in Slovakia for more than six months, they can be employed through this project," he said. Additionally, the project will cover the cost of a mentor for three months, who will train the new employee in their role. "So, for nine months, we will cover 80 percent of the total cost of labour, and we expect a six-month sustainability period," Tomas added. The project will also include support specifically aimed at helping young people under the age of 30 find employment. "For them, we will again reimburse 80 percent of the total cost of labour for the first six months, with a required sustainability period of four months. As for the mentor allowance, it will last for two months," the minister added. lin