As the economy shows signs of recovery, will businesses be more willing to hire if 50% of new employee wages are reimbursed for six months? That’s the hope of a new supported employment program, Working Solutions, which is offering employers who hire people currently receiving public assistance a 50 percent wage subsidy for the first six months of employment.
Working Solutions is a focused placement program specifically for individuals in Hamilton County who receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) under Ohio Works First (OWF). Funded through Hamilton County Job and Family Service,
Working Solutions aims to find employment for a minimum of 120 people by the end of September, increasing their self-sufficiency and reducing the likelihood of their return to public assistance.
“Local employers have done more with less for quite some time and now growth strongly depends on their ability to hire,” says Pam Green, Vice President at Easter Seals WRC. “Working Solutions helps take some of the immediate financial risk out of hiring while also providing access to employment support for people on public assistance. This support helps remove the barriers that keep people in the system or those which cause them to return.”
With unemployment in the region hovering around 10 percent, nearly 35% of OWF applicants are first-time recipients. Working Solutions offers employers access to a qualified candidate pool, and offers prospective employees a number of job and career development tools that might otherwise be out of reach.
What’s in it for Employers:
Working Solutions offers employers a reliable recruiting source for qualified, prescreened candidates. Additionally, if a Working Solutions candidate is hired, the employer will receive a 50 percent wage subsidy and new employee retention support for the first six months of employment. Employers maintain 100 percent control of the hiring and firing and are under no legal or financial obligation to retain employees.
How it works:
Working Solutions offers job seekers and employers a single point of contact for placement and retention support. At Working Solutions, participants receive assistance in resume writing, career path development and other job search tools. All participants are personally interviewed, drug screened and background checked before being submitted as candidates for employment. Participants are connected with employers looking to hire qualified individuals. Once hired, participants receive free access to a job coach for six months.
Candidates from Working Solutions also qualify companies for Work Opportunity Tax Credits of up to $2400 on their first year’s wages. “Working Solutions builds on Easter Seals WRC’s success in managing Hamilton County’s welfare to work program, Community Link, and connecting individuals to community employers,” says Green.
For more information, visit www.eastersealswrc.org.