Employer Recruitment Incentive

West Lothian Council's Economic Development Service has committed to supporting more local businesses and creating sustainable employment opportunities through the Employer Recruitment Incentive.

Employer Recruitment Incentive

Are you interested in creating a position within your business for a West Lothian resident? With the Employer Recruitment Incentive (ERI), there is funding available to help with this.

The ERI is a wage subsidy programme aimed at supporting local businesses and creating employment opportunities for West Lothian residents. Successful applicants will receive 50% of the salary of the new employee (based on the employee receiving the Real Living Wage), for a maximum of 40 hours per week, up to 26 weeks. 

Eligibility Criteria

  • The employee hired must be a West Lothian resident that is: 
    • 16 - 24 years old and currently unemployed or underemployed (i.e. on a zero-hour contract), or
    • A parent with a dependent child, or
    • Aged 25+ and unemployed
  • In their new role, the employee must be employed for 16-40 hours per week
  • The employee, regardless of age, must be paid the Real Living Wage (this is currently £10.90 per hour, but a new rate of £12.00 per hour will be implemented from end of April 2024)
  • The business must be based in West Lothian and have less than 250 employees

Payment and Monitoring

  • The wage subsidy programme will pay 50% of the employee's salary for a maximum of 40 hours per week, for up to 26 weeks
  • The wage subsidy funding is paid in 2 payments - the first payment at the start of employment, and then again in 13 weeks
  • After 4 weeks you will be asked to upload proof of salary paid to the employee, in the form of 1 payslip and 1 bank statement. This will be requested at 4 weeks, 13 weeks and 26 weeks. Based on this evidence, the 13th week payment due will be released.

Please note that the Employer Recruitment Incentive is currently on hold. If you would like to be kept up to date and notified when it launches again, please email invest@westlothian.gov.uk 

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