Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey is urging young people to apply for a Job Start Payment if they are beginning new work after a period of unemployment.
The Job Start Payment is available to 16 to 24-year-olds who have been on certain benefits – including Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit – for six months or more.
Eligible young people can apply for the one-off payment worth £252.50, or £404 if they have children.
The payment will help with the costs of starting a job including travel, new clothes or childcare.
Young people are among those whose job prospects have been hardest hit by this pandemic, and Ms Haughey argues that it’s proper they should be supported to ensure they are at “the heart of the economic recovery from Covid-19.”
People can find out more and apply through mygov.scot or by calling 0800 182 2222.
Commenting, Clare Haughey MSP told Lanarkshire Live: “Getting a new job can be very expensive for young people when you take into consideration the costs of travel, buying clothes and other costs associated with new employment.
“The pandemic has been particularly difficult for younger generations, and they must be at the heart of the economic recovery from Covid-19. The Job Start Payment is therefore a fantastic source of support for our young people.
“I would encourage all those eligible who have been unemployed for a long period of time and are beginning a new job or have recently started one to apply.”
