FEDERAL Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce has encouraged businesses and young jobseekers to explore the Australian Government’s new $6.8 billion employment service – jobactive.

“The jobactive initiative will help local job seekers in the New England Electorate to become work ready and undertake training and work experience that will improve their chances of finding and keeping a job” Mr Joyce said.

“Local employers will also benefit from the new jobactive system especially through the new $1.2 billion wage subsidy programmes,” he said.

As part of the 2015/16 Budget, the Government has made the wage subsidy arrangements more flexible and accessible. Employers will be able to receive a wage subsidy from the day an eligible job seeker starts in a job and the subsidy can be paid on a fortnightly basis.

“The wage subsidies will help employers with the upfront costs of hiring and training new staff and encourage more employers to think about taking on a local job seeker,” Mr Joyce said.

The jobactive initiative will be administered by a number of organisations in the New England Electorate and delivers on the Government’s commitment to reform employment services for the benefit of job seekers and employers.

“I look forward to working with the new jobactive providers in our region to help connect local job seekers and employers” he said.

For more information please visit: www.employment.gov.au.