ISSUE #159 - Jobs Victoria Fund

4 June 2021

Program Overview

The Jobs Victoria Fund provides $250 million in wage subsidies to assist Victorian businesses to employ at least 10,000 people who are looking for work.

If you are a Victorian employer ready to hire new staff, the Jobs Victoria Fund can financially support you to employ people who have been most affected by the economic impacts of the pandemic.

What are the basics of the Jobs Victoria Fund?

Jobs Victoria wage subsidies of up to $20,000 are available for eligible employers who hire eligible jobseekers. Wage subsidies can be used to meet the costs of taking on new employees for the first 12 months of employment.

You can apply for a wage subsidy for up to 20 full time equivalent employees depending on the size of your business.

At least 60 per cent of jobs supported by the Jobs Victoria Fund will be for women, reflecting the significant impact the pandemic has had on their employment opportunities.

To qualify for the subsidy, you must employ someone from at least one of the priority groups outlined below. These groups are being supported because the pandemic has particularly impacted their employment.

The Jobs Victoria Fund financially supports these priority jobseekers into work:

women aged over 45 years
jobseekers who are long-term unemployed (unemployed for six months or more)
jobseekers registered with a Jobs Victoria partner
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
people with disability
people seeking asylum/refugees
newly arrived migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds
young people aged under 25
people over 45 years
veterans
people previously employed under the Working for Victoria initiative.

If you are an employer interested in applying to the Jobs Victoria Fund, you must hire employees from these priority groups before you apply to the Fund. If you meet all the eligibility criteria and supply the necessary information, you will receive funding, subject to availability of funds and conditions.

You can apply for a wage subsidy for up to 20 full time equivalent employees.

If you are an employer able to create larger numbers of jobs for priority groups please contact us or Jobs Victoria.

Is my business eligible to apply to the Fund?

If you are interested in applying to the Jobs Victoria Fund, and want to find out if you are eligible, the questionnaire on the Jobs Victoria website will help. You can find the full eligibility criteria in the Jobs Victoria Fund eligibility checklist.