Self employed workers will be able to benefit from a welfare payment of €203 a week - if out of work - from November.
This will mark the first time self-employed workers will be be able to get jobseeker’s benefit, and it will also be paid at the same rate as people who have previously been employed but lost their jobs.
This will also benefit the many thousands of contractors who work for multinationals and smaller companies around the company on a self-employed basis.
Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection Regina Doherty said: “This new benefit supports the Government’s aim of creating a supportive environment for entrepreneurship, including providing an income safety net to employees and self-employed alike.
“The introduction of a new Jobseeker’s Benefit scheme for the self-employed represents the next step in the Government’s work to extend PRSI benefits and will provide an income safety net to thousands of small and medium businesses throughout the country.”
It is now believed that up to 6,500 individuals will benefit from the payment.
