Catalogue description Small Firms Employment Subsidy Scheme

The Small Firms Employment Subsidy Scheme (SFESS) was one of a number of special measures drawn up by the government to assist in reducing unemployment in the Special Development Areas (SDAs), and later in the Assisted or Inner City Partnership Areas (AAs or ICPAs). The scheme provided a short-term subsidy to eligible firms for each extra job provided above the number of jobs existing on the date the scheme was announced. The Manpower Policy Division of the Department of Employment was responsible for operating the scheme.

An experimental scheme was run from 1 July 1977 to 30 June 1978 in the SDAs. A subsidy could be paid for each extra job commencing on or before 31 December 1977 for up to 26 weeks. The subsidy would not be paid after 30 June 1978. A firm had to satisfy the following conditions in order to be eligible for the subsidy:

• a manufacturing business;
• an independent business in the private sector;
• a manufacturing workplace in an SDA;
• less than fifty employees on 29 March 1977;
• no public funds being used or claimed to support jobs.

The experimental scheme was replaced by SFESS, with applications open from 1 July 1978 to 31 March 1979, the scheme having been announced on 15 March 1978. The conditions for eligibility were similar to the experimental scheme, except that now the manufacturing workplace must be in an AA or ICPA, and the firm had no more than 200 employees on 15 March 1978. Payments were to be made for up to 26 weeks. From 1978 the payments were computerised.

The final version of the scheme ran from 1 July 1979 to 31 March 1980. Conditions for eligibility were similar to the previous scheme, but the manufacturing workplace was required to be in an SDA or DA. The scheme was discontinued, no payments being made after 5 October 1980.