Slovak Gov't announces social package, encouraging firms to hire mothers

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Labor, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Jan Richter unveiled on Friday the first measure of the ministry's second social package, kids' corners, to bolster job creation for women who look after children up to the age of six.

"We'd like to create conditions to enable women to go to work, be it a part-time or full-time job. This is currently being hampered by the fact that we lack a sufficient number of high-quality services that we could provide to mothers of children of such an age," stressed Fico.

The kids' corners are supposed to be introduced at companies themselves, with professional staff looking after children while their parents are working. The state will provide subsidies to businesses that opt to create jobs for working mothers.

"We're offering to pay employers for a qualified worker who'll take care of the children and to cover the expenditures of non-investment items that will be needed towards creating the space to this effect," added Fico.

The Slovak government is also planning to refund the companies the expenditures that they incur in creating the job as such.

"We're saying to employers that if they create a job and hire a woman who looks after a child of up to six years of age, we'll cover 90 percent of the national average salary for 10 months. This is based on the job being permanent," said Fico.

The government has 23 million euros (26.6 million U.S. dollars) from the Employment and Social Inclusion Operational Program to spend on the measure. Endit