Contact the experienced employment law attorneys at Maya Murphy, P.C. today at (203) 221-3100 or JMaya@Mayalaw.com.

The Connecticut Department of Labor is the administrative agency that monitors and regulates the majority of the employment laws within the State, and investigates and prosecutes perceived wrongdoings by employer in the payment of wages and retention of employee records.  However, the Connecticut Department of Labor also serves another purpose, which is to provide assistance to employers and employees alike through the creation of subsidies and programs to promote job creation throughout the State.

One such job creation program that many employers may not be aware of is the Connecticut Subsidized Training and Employment Program (Step-Up), which provides wage and training subsidies to employers which hire unemployed jobseekers in the market.  The Program is monitored by the Connecticut Department of Labor and the State of Connecticut’s five (5) Workforce Investment Boards to help small businesses within the State hire employees and expand the workforce within their establishment.

Contained within the Step-Up Program are two (2) types of hiring incentives. The first incentive is a wage subsidy which assists in the payment of a new employee’s salary of up to twelve thousand dollars ($12,000), for the first six (6) months of employment.  The second incentive offered to employers is a training grant that provides employers with up to twelve thousand five hundred dollars ($12,500), over a one hundred and eighty (180) day period to train new employees.

To be eligible for the Step-Up Program, an employer must be a small business or manufacturer with no more than one hundred (100) full-time employees, and must have been registered to conduct business in Connecticut for at least one (1) year prior to application to the Program.  The business must also be in good standing with regards to the payment of State and local taxes, and any training of employees must take place at the employer’s place of business.

The Step-Up Program also includes an Unemployed Armed Forces Member Subsidized Training and Employment Program, which the Department of Labor has designed to help former military personnel find new employment upon their return from service.  The military program is similar to the wage subsidy program, but open to any company, regardless of size.

If you are a small business employer and are seeking information about, or an application into the Step-Up Program or any other Department of Labor program, contact the experienced employment law attorneys today at 203-221-3100, or by email at JMaya@mayalaw.com. We have the experience and knowledge you need at this critical juncture. We serve clients in both New York and Connecticut including New Canaan, Bridgeport, White Plains, and Darien.

Source: ctdol.state.ct.us