People over 50 constitute over 20 per cent of the unemployed registered in labor offices. The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy implemented a program, thanks to which employers will bear lower employment costs concerning people who are close to retirement age.
One of the implemented solutions is annual exemption from paying contributions for Labor Fund and Guaranteed Employee Benefits Fund. Employer is exempted from paying those two contributions permanently if their employee (or currently hired unemployed) is over 55 in the case of women and 60 in the case of men – explains Małgorzata Sarzalska, chairman of Department of Economic Analyses and Forecasts in Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.
An important facilitation is also reduction in number of days within a year, for which employer – not the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy – pays for a sick leave. It mainly concerns 33 days whereas in the case of employees over 50 – only two weeks. Costs of other days on leave are borne by ZUS.
Moreover, each entrepreneur who hire an unemployed person over 50 may apply for a subsidy to remuneration of the mentioned employee. The amount of it may total even half of annual minimum remuneration. In the case of hiring a person between 50 and 60, the financial support is entitled for a one year whereas in the case of people above 60 – for 24 months.