To proceed to the online application form you must meet all the eligibility criteria. If you meet the criteria please click the 'I am eligible' button below.

The employment subsidy scheme is open to enterprises who:

• Must not have been an enterprise in difficulty on 1st July 2008¹, but are now facing significant difficulties as a result of the global and financial economic crisis;
• Are now considering redundancies;
• Must have already taken significant restructuring measures to improve their competitive position through full engagement at enterprise level on measures to sustain jobs. This could include strategies to reduce costs and improve productivity;
• Employ 10 or more full time employees (working an average of 35 hours per week) in Ireland at the 2nd November 2009;
• Can demonstrate that the enterprise has sufficient cash, taking into account this employment subsidy, to trade up to 31/12/2010 and beyond;
• Have committed to maintain a number of jobs until 30/11/2010;
• Must be judged to have sound, robust and sustainable business models and business plans that are financially viable in the medium term;
• Must be capable of growth in the global upturn;
• Have not received any payment under the Employment Subsidy Scheme (Temporary) which closed on the 4th September 2009. Where an applicant has received an offer of support under that scheme, the applicant must have formally withdrawn from any contract entered into under that scheme before applying under this scheme;
• Are not active in the fisheries sector;
• Are not active in the primary production of agricultural products². An enterprise active in the processing and marketing of agricultural products is eligible.

• for large companies, an enterprise (firm) in difficulty as defined in point 2.1 of the Community Guidelines on State Aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (2004/C 244/02)
• for SMEs, an enterprise (firm) in difficulty as defined in Article 1(7) of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 800/2008

² as defined in Article 2(2) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 of 15 December 2006.