The Minister for Education and Employment, Evarist Bartolo, has launched the ‘Making Work Pay’ initiative, which aims to move people from social assistance into employment.

The Minister said that, in all, there are about 9,555 persons who are eligible to benefit from tapering. The breakdown of beneficiaries is as follows: 4,994 persons receive social assistance, 2,467 social assistance for single unmarried parents and 2,094 are on unemployment assistance.

During March, a questionnaire will be sent to all beneficiaries and will be used for a profiling exercise, which is primarily intended to facilitate the organisation of training and anticipate requirements for shortening the beneficiaries’ distance from the labour market.

Beneficiaries will be required to state their job preferences and expected wage. This information will eventually be shared with the training and placement providers to ensure a better and more rapid response.

The involvement of the private sector is seen as an important element in securing a successful outcome. At the same time, Government wants to make sure that public funds are used efficiently. It is why Government intends to employ outcome-oriented incentives. Simply put, any payment to private providers will be based on their successful performance in landing beneficiaries into jobs.

The consultation document can be accessed on www.education.gov.mt/makingworkpay and feedback can be sent on jobsplus@gov.mt

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