Job seekers over the age of 30 are eligible to receive assistance through the “Expansion and Development of Labor Supply” programme, which commenced in October of last year. To finance the non-repayable grants, the Economic Development and Innovation Operational Program Plus provides a total budget of HUF 78.41 billion nationwide, of which the European Union funds available in Baranya County amount to HUF 3.66 billion. Applications have been accepted in the programme since mid-May, and in the half-year since then, 864 job seekers in Baranya have already received assistance.
The operations of strategic importance (OSI) for the 2021-27 programming period, commonly known as Pillars, are designed to enhance the visibility of EU funding by showcasing the achieved results to citizens in a more prominent manner. In the 2021-27 programming period, Pillars are associated with every operational programme. One of the most significant employment Pillars of Economic Development and Innovation Operational Program Plus is the project titled “Expanding and Developing the Labor Supply,” which aims to engage approximately 76,900 individuals, including 50,000 disadvantaged job seekers and inactive individuals, with a budget of HUF 150 billion.
The aim of the project is to support job seekers and inactive individuals over the age of 30, particularly those from disadvantaged groups in the labor market, the employers who employ them, and workers prepared to exit public employment. The integration of the target group into the open labor market is supported by interconnected services and assistance. Particular attention is given to the long-term unemployed, those over fifty, the low-skilled, those living in rural areas, those raising young children, the Roma, the people with disabilities, and those providing care. The range of available support between December 1, 2023, and August 31, 2027, has been continuously expanding since the project’s launch. Since the program’s launch, in the past six months, 864 job seekers in Baranya have received assistance, with nearly five hundred of them benefiting from employment-related support. At the same time, more than two hundred people participated in training courses. For those courses where there was demand, the Baranya County Government Office not only started courses in Pécs but also in other district seats.
