Govt launches scheme for SMEs in areas with high jobless rate

The innovation and technology ministry is launching a programme to bolster employment in areas of the country where the unemployment rate is higher than the national average, the state secretary for employment policy said on Monday. The government has allocated 12 billion forints (EUR 4.0bn) to the scheme targeting SMEs working in the north, northeast, south and southeast of the country, Sandor Bodo told a news conference. The government will support companies ready to raise their headcount by at least three, he said. It will pay 60 or 70 percent of wage costs, depending on the SME's size, he added. The companies will take on an obligation to maintain those jobs for at least three years, Bodo said.