Back to Work has a range of financial and non-financial support available to businesses who decide to employ and retain an eligible jobseeker through the program.
The program focusses on intensive support for employers and their employees, with support payments of up to $20,000 available for eligible employers who hire eligible unemployed jobseekers.
Who is an eligible employer?
All employers are eligible except for government entities (local, State and Commonwealth governments and entities including government owned corporations and statutory bodies). Employers must have:
- a good workplace safety and industrial relations record and
- a genuine commitment to ongoing employment of the employee.
What is an eligible job?
The job offered must be:
- mainly located in the eligible Local Government areas and
- ongoing paid full-time (at least 35 hours per week on average) or
- ongoing paid part-time (at least 20 hours per week on average) or
- for a person with a disability who has a workplace assessment to work between 8 and 20 hours per week, hours consistent with their approved benchmark, on average or
- a registered and eligible Queensland full-time or part-time apprenticeship.
What are the eligible Local Government areas?
The Jobseeker Support Pool is delivered in the following eligible regions:
- Far North Queensland
- North Queensland
- Mackay/Isaac Whitsunday
- North West Queensland
- Central Queensland
- Wide Bay Burnett
- South West Queensland (NB Toowoomba ineligible).
The Jobseeker Support Pool is also delivered in select local government areas in South East Queensland, including Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Moreton Bay, Scenic Rim, and Somerset.
Who is an eligible employee?
An eligible employee for the Employer Support Payment must be a permanent resident of Australia and their principal place of residency is in Queensland - must have been unemployed for the minimum period for the specified support payment directly prior to commencing employment with the eligible employer - has not worked for the eligible employer in the 52 weeks directly prior to commencing employment with the eligible employer - at the time the initial payment application is made, has been in paid employment with the eligible employer for at least four weeks but not more than 12 weeks - is not currently and was not a full-time student within four weeks immediately prior to commencing with the eligible employer - must not have displaced any existing workers - if the employee has a disability, must be engaged in mainstream employment. An eligible employee for the Apprentice and Trainee Boost payment:
- must meet all the criteria for an Employer Support Payment and
- must have been unemployed for at least four weeks directly prior to commencing employment with the eligible employer
- be undertaking a registered and eligible apprenticeship or traineeship. An eligible employee for the Youth Boost Payment:
- must meet all of the criteria for an Employer Support Payment and must have been unemployed for at least four weeks directly prior to commencing employment with the eligible employer
- must be over the age of 15 years and below the age of 25 years on the date they commenced employment with the eligible employer (but can turn 25 during the period of their employment).
Successful applicants will be notified by email as to the outcome of an application.
