10月, as part of the 2020-21 Budget and Economic Recovery Plan, the government announced a new $4 billion stimulus measure called the JobMaker Hiring Credit.
The scheme was designed to encourage businesses to hire young employees aged 16-35. 作为计划的一部分, eligible businesses could receive credit for any qualifying employees hired by 6 October 2021, for a maximum claim period of 12 months from their start date (with the scheme ending 6 October 2022).
The main motivation behind the program was to help get more young people employed, primarily because the unemployment rate for Australians under 35 is currently 8.5%，相比之下4%.35岁及以上为2%.
Through the JobMaker program, a business could receive payments of up to:
- $200/week for each eligible new employee aged 16–29 years old (incl.)
- $100/week for each eligible new employee aged 30–35 years old (incl.)
JobMaker怎么了
从一开始, the scheme was not without its critics – especially those concerned that older, full-time employees might lose their jobs to younger 工作ers, or that the program wouldn’t create the kinds of real, 需要长期工作.
同时, there were concerns about the end of the highly successful JobKeeper subsidy, 哪一个现在结束了, and how JobMaker might partially replace it, as businesses were not allowed to receive funds through the JobMaker, JobKeeper and/or apprenticeship training schemes at the same time.
然而, the Government recently announced that only 521 jobs are now being supported by the JobMaker program – a far cry from the 10,000 jobs expected during the first stage of an estimated 450,在整个项目的过程中，获得了1000美元.
更改和选项
现在发生了什么?? 为了让更多的企业参与进来, the Government has announced that widespread changes will be coming to JobMaker, especially to the eligibility rules for the program. One possibility is that the Government may allow businesses to take advantage of both JobMaker and the Boosting Apprenticeships Commencements Wage Subsidy, which was designed to support new apprentices and trainees in a wide range of industries. With the end of JobKeeper, it’s now likely that more companies will explore JobMaker, too.
有一件事 不会 be changing, however, is the age range for new hires. Treasurer Frydenberg has been adamant about keeping the program focused on hiring new employees between the ages of 16-35.
招聘前要考虑的事情
There are still a lot of questions to be answered about JobMaker changes before the budget is released in May. If you need to hire young employees for your business right now, either the JobMaker credit or the Apprenticeships subsidy could still be a very timely resource. 但是，您需要仔细计划. Hiring the wrong person can be very expensive, and you want to ensure that a new hire is going to be the right fit for both the position and for your company.
如果你决定申请JobMaker, you must register for the scheme through the ATO or through your tax agent. 你只需要注册一次, but you must make a claim through your STP-enabled payroll software to prove that the employee has met the minimum hours requirements.
最重要的是, we urge you to speak with an experienced accountant or tax professional about these government schemes, no matter whether you’ve taken advantage of JobKeeper or are considering registering for another scheme. Now is a good time to discuss your long-term goals with an expert and discuss how these programs (or the end of them) could affect your business, 你的现金流和税收.
请与您的 当地Accru office or adviser if we can be of assistance.
