Minister of State for the Office of Public Works, Kevin “Boxer” Moran, has welcomed last Tuesday’s Budget announcement regarding incentives to hire older workers.
Minister Moran said he had campaigned strongly for an enhancement of the JobsPlus scheme to support workers aged 50 or older into employment.
“Employers will receive a subsidy of €10,000 to employ any long-term unemployed person aged over 50,” said Minister Moran. “This section of the workforce has found it very difficult to find employment in recent times and I hope that today’s budget announcement will help improve their employment prospects.
“A lot of people who were affected by the recession 10 years ago are finding it extremely difficult to obtain work now that the economy has picked up again. I think it is only fair that an incentive is provided to employers to take on those who are over the age of 50 years.
“The measure would go some way to addressing the challenges faced by older workers. Unfortunately, evidence would suggest a bias against older workers, not just by employers but also in the community at large, and this is something that we must tackle.”
