Mitsotakis: Announced extension of the program for the long-term unemployed aged 55-67

The extension of the employment program of DYPA (former OAED) for the long-term unemployed aged 55 to 67 years to create 6,500 additional jobs and the launch of a new program, which will cover 10,000 long-term unemployed over 45 years, the Prime Minister announced Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

During a discussion with women and men among the 8,000 aged 55-67 who have now found work in Municipalities, Regions, hospitals, insurance funds, KEP and other NPDD thanks to the existing program, the Prime Minister announced that the total 8,500 seats provided to date will increase to 15,000with a budget of EUR 117 million.

The new employment program for the long-term unemployed over the age of 45, in the private sector, will highlight areas that are considered pockets of high unemployment. With a budget of 120 million euros, it will be funded by the Recovery Fund with the aim of starting its implementation immediately. It will last 12 to 18 months and will provide a monthly subsidy of salary and contributions of 653 to 746 euros for the creation of new jobs.

“There is a stereotype – you know – in Greece, that social policy must be of certain ideological areas. I think that we have proved in practice that this is not the case “, stressed Kyriakos Mitsotakis, pointing out that the state has on the one hand the knowledge and on the other hand the resources to drastically reduce unemployment and increase employment.

“Right now we are coming and marrying three things: political will, know-how, which exists in both the Ministry and the DYPA, but also financial tools at the same time,” he said. Prime Minister. “The Public Employment Service combined with a direction from the political leadership, utilizing the financial tools we currently have from the Recovery and Resilience Fund, but also from the NSRF programs, I think we can really go for active employment policies on another level and that is our goal “, he added.

The beneficiaries narrated their experiences, expressed their satisfaction for the good connection of the positions offered to them with their qualifications or previous service, but also with the effectiveness of DYPA, especially the employment consultants. They also stressed the social benefit and the great psychological uplift that the return to the labor market offers, while at the same time they stated that more long-term actions are needed regarding the problem of unemployment in the age groups that are close to retirement.

“We must not forget that even at the ages we are discussing, we have the opportunity to launch programs that are mutually beneficial”, noted Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The Prime Minister pointed out that it is possible to link the programs of DYPA in order to maximize support and fight unemployment at older ages. “We are going to build a bridge program to come and stick these people in a program now in the private sector,” he said characteristically.

“The truth is that age discrimination is a very big problem in the labor market”, said on his part the Commander of DYPA, Spyros Protopsaltis. “In this context, we have new actions from the Recovery Fund that target the long-term unemployed over 45 years. “10,000 jobs will be created in the private sector, because the truth is that it is in the private sector that this absorption can exist in the long run,” he added.

The Prime Minister also commented on the citizens’ remarks on their adaptation to the wider public sector after their tenure in private companies, noting the invisible benefits that result from the mixing of different experiences.

“What I find very interesting and so I did not realize when I read the material for this program, is exactly how this osmosis can be to the benefit of all. “Of civil servants, because they will see it differently, but also of the beneficiaries, because they feel that they contribute and improve the productivity of the service in which they have been placed”, he said.

The extension of the existing program

As part of the government’s strategy to support the long-term unemployed during the pandemic and the regular evaluation of programs by the former OAED administration to strengthen social policy, in July 2020 the number of organizations that could participate was significantly increased. at “55 to 67”, while the performance increased to 75% from 50% and the ceiling rose to 750 euros, compared to the 600 initially provided.

It is noted that the program started in 2017, but in 2018 the then target of 10,000 positions was reduced by half and by July 2020 less than 1,500 recruitments had been made. However, after the changes that took place, its effectiveness increased dramatically and in the period of about two years that followed, 8,000 recruitments were made.

“It is a program that started about 4-5 years ago, but from 2020 onwards it was greatly strengthened,” said during the discussion the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Kostis Hatzidakis. “That is, while until the elections there were around 1,000-1,500 people in this program, we went at higher speeds, we restructured it and now there are 8,000 and more beneficiaries.”

“We got a program with very few hires. We improved it and today we have 8,000 hires in two years. “It is part of this continuous improvement and culture that you mentioned that we try to consolidate every day and better, every day to see what we can do differently to serve citizens and businesses in the best possible way,” said Mr. Protopsaltis.

Beneficiaries – employers of the existing program are public administration bodies. Indicatively, a number of NPDDs have joined the program, such as Municipalities, Regions, Insurance Funds, Hospitals, Social Welfare Centers, Holy Metropolises, STASY as well as Municipal Enterprises from the whole territory.

The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Kostis Hatzidakis, and the Governor of the Public Employment Service, Spyros Protopsaltis, participated in the discussion.

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