By 2027, Actiris intends to guide 4,000 unemployed people in creating their own jobs. With the support of various partners, the institution is particularly targeting long-term, low-skilled jobseekers over the age of 50.
Crédal, Fais-le toi-même, Job Yourself, ILES, microStart and Refresh Brussels. These are the six new partners selected by Actiris to support jobseekers in creating their own jobs. In particular, they will be long-term unemployed (at least one year) registered with Actiris or meeting one of the following criteria: registered with the public centre for social welfare (CPAS), low-skilled, aged over 50 or jobseekers of foreign origin. The measure is aimed at 4,000 jobseekers, who will receive personal support to help them turn their idea into a real business or non-profit organisation.
Support and evaluation
‘We selected these six projects for their quality, their support methods and their focus on the most vulnerable jobseekers,’ says Cristina Amboldi, Director General of Actiris. ‘We hope that their expertise can form a synergy with our own services and that together we can bring this group closer to sustainable employment.
This call for projects is in line with the priorities of the new ESF+ 2021-2027 programme, namely integrating jobseekers who are a long way from the labour market into quality jobs.
Each year, Actiris invests €1.55 million in partnerships focusing on job self-creation (co-financed by the ESF+).
These new agreements run until 31 December 2027. They will be subject to an interim evaluation in 2025. At the end of the agreement period, there will also be an evaluation based on the qualitative and quantitative achievements of the support. The six partners will also be recognised as local economy counters for the granting of the self-employment premium.
In 2023, an average of 88,979 jobseekers were registered with Actiris. Compared with 2022, this represents an increase of 2,730 people (+3.2%). Over a longer period, this number is falling significantly: -20,450 people (-18.7%) since 2013.
J. S.