83,955 employers in Croatia claim government grants

ZAGREB, April 29 (Hina) – The Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) on Wednesday published on its website a list of beneficiaries of a government aid scheme designed to save jobs, which shows that 83,955 employers had taken grants for March in the net amount of HRK 3,250 per employee.

The grants, amounting to the minimum wage, refer to 484,992 workers and the government has paid out a total of HRK 1.55 billion for that purpose.

Most of the grants, 77,057 or 40% of the total amount, were paid to micro businesses with up to 10 employees. A total of 5,876 grants (25%) were paid to small businesses, 899 (19%) were paid to medium-sized employers (51-250 workers) and 147 (16%) to big employers, who employ more than 250 people.

Most of the grant seekers, 92%, were micro-businesses, small businesses accounted for 7% of all grant requests, medium businesses for 1% and big businesses for 0.03% of grant requests.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told reporters after a session of the inner cabinet that the government’s measures were generous, fast and easy to implement.

The competent institutions, notably the HZZ and the Tax Administration, will take care there is no misuse of aid, Plenkovic said, adding that the processing of requests for the April allowance, in the amount of HRK 4,000 per employee, would be fast.