Romanian companies to receive EUR 133m for employment and professional development

Companies in Romania will receive during the next two years 133 million euros from the European Social Fund (ESF) to employ and train people and improve the working conditions, declared today the labor minister Marian Sarbu.

The money should provide for the employment and training of about 100,000 people.

"At the end of March we will launch officially the state aid scheme amounting to 133 million euros. Some 56 million euros will be used for employment, 52 million euros will go into professional training and 25 million euros will be reserved for improving health and security conditions in working places," explained the minister.

Of the 56 million euros, 29 million euros will be allotted to companies employing people from rural areas. The European Union will contribute 85 percent of the amount, the rest to be supplied through national financing.

The subsidies for salaries for new employees will be of at least 50 percent, depending on several criteria.

The economic crisis brutally hit the Romanian industry and forced big players such as car maker Dacia or sweets producer Kraft to either dismiss people or relocate the business. Prospects are grim for the first half of the year when the number of the unemployed is expected to keep growing. However, the optimistic prognosis stresses that starting with the summer the sky will start to clear.

NewsIn