San Mateo County approves $2 million plan to create jobs and support small business hiring
San Mateo County, California – San Mateo County leaders have agreed to a new plan that will help individuals find stable employment and help small businesses hire more people. The Board of Supervisors unanimously supported a $2 million plan to create more full-time jobs and boost the local economy.
The program, introduced by District Three Supervisor Ray Mueller, focuses on people who are newly entering or reentering the labor market. People who have just graduated or finished degree or certificate training in the last three years are expected to profit from this.
Public money will be used to temporarily cover the wages of eligible hires at small and medium-sized businesses that generate new full-time jobs and meet the program’s standards.
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The board adopted a plan that lets companies get subsidies that cover up to half of a worker’s wages for the first three months on the job, with the support based on a maximum annual salary of $65,000. Businesses can pay more, but the public contribution will not go over that amount.
Employers who want to help must also promise to keep each funded position open for at least a year. This ties financial help to real job creation and retention.
County officials think that the investment might lead to the creation of up to 200 new jobs in the private sector. The attempt comes at a time when younger people in California continue to have a harder time finding work than the general population, even if the job market is still rather healthy overall.
Mueller said that the legislation was a response to economic factors that were hurting both job searchers and business owners. These included inflation, growing operational expenses, and changes in technology. He pointed out that the goal goes beyond numbers and is focused on graduates who want to create careers in the area and businesses that are ready to thrive if they get the right help.
The next stage for the county is to send out a request for proposals to find an entity that can run and carry out the program.
