The Croatian government has allocated 1.5 billion kuna for a nine-measure plan to help jobless people who are on the margins of the labour market, and this plan was outlined in the government on Wednesday.
This set of measures goes into effect on 2 March, Thursday, and includes subsidies for job creation, self-employment, up- and re-training, casual employment, and other steps that can boost employment.
Presenting the plan, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that it was part of his cabinet's activities aimed at economic growth and development.
Plenkovic said that the outlays for boosting employment this year were 400 million higher compared to last year.
Also, 650 million kuna for this purpose is to be absorbed from the European Social Fund.
"The measures will contribute to the country's economic stability and growth, and will facilitate the availability of employment opportunities," he added.
Currently, there are 22,000 job vacancies, according to the statistics from the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ). If these jobs are filled in, the number of unemployed will fall by 10%, he added.
Concerning self-employment, grants for this purpose have been raised from HRK 25,000 to HRK 35,000.
Labour and Pension System Minister Tomislav Coric said that this package would be beneficial to the long-term unemployed, people with disabilities and young job-seekers.
(EUR 1 = HRK 7.5)
Text: Hina