Important Updates from 1 July 2021

The Back to Work program will be undergoing significant program updates from 1 July 2021

Learn more about what these program updates mean for you.

  • In the 2021-22 Queensland State Budget, the Back to Work (BTW) program was extended with additional funding of up to $140 million over four years for a revitalised BTW program to provide businesses the confidence to employ Queenslanders who have experienced a period of unemployment and help workers facing disadvantage in the labour market.
  • The revitalised BTW program will continue to give businesses the confidence to employ Queenslanders who have experienced a period of unemployment. Support payments are available to eligible employers who hire a previously unemployed Queenslander who had experienced a minimum period of unemployment directly prior to commencing work with them.
  • The program will be available throughout regional Queensland and select South East Queensland (SEQ) local government areas (LGA). The BTW support payments can be used for a broad range of purposes, for instance, the purchasing of PPE, acquisition of business assets, upskilling and retraining staff, other business development activities and so on.
  • The revitalised BTW program now focusses on intensive support for jobseekers, employers and their employees.
  • The revitalised BTW program supports targeted cohorts including: youth, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with a disability and long term unemployed.
  • By changing the focus to a program that combines targeted, intensive support for people from disadvantaged and vulnerable cohorts, the revitalised program will create genuine, long-term employment outcomes.
  • The revitalised BTW program will have two types of employer incentive payments: Youth Boost and the Back to Work support payment. Employers who hire an eligible young person (aged 15 – 24 years old) may receive up to $20,000. Employers who hire an eligible person from the following targeted cohorts (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, person with a disability and long term unemployed person) may receive up to $15,000.
  • The revitalised BTW program will deliver targeted employer wage incentives and a suite of wrap around supports including: the pre-employment support program, the Jobseeker Support Pool, small business short courses, the Small Business Support Pool, and the Pilot Programs Fund.
  • Funding by financial year for the revitalised program is up to $35 million per annum.