Strategic area
Livelihoods and Economic Opportunity
Safe paid work and enterprises with a viable future
The proposed livelihoods approach would begin with evidenced labour and customer demand, then address the constraint preventing eligible people from accessing safe paid work or viable self-employment. Temporary support could cover skills, transport, documents, childcare or equipment where the complete pathway has a credible economic basis.
Proposed approach
Match support to real opportunities
Providers would substantiate vacancies and business conditions before enrolment. Participation terms would explain eligibility, hours, pay, assistance, appeals and subsidy end dates. Employers’ ability to sustain work after subsidy would be tested; weaker demand would trigger reassessment before additional intake.
Reduce administrative barriers without overstating rights
Registration and filing support would address measured costs and benefits under national authority. Staff would explain permissions, evidence, fees, liabilities and correction routes. Assisted and lawful offline access would support users facing connectivity, literacy or document barriers. Incorporation would not imply creditworthiness or cross-border permission.
Strengthen enterprise decisions
Qualified providers would address diagnosed gaps in customer evidence, costing, production, governance or finance through usable outputs, such as a tested offer or reliable cashbook. Bounded trials would limit household exposure. Enterprises would retain commercial decisions; disappointing returns would be distinguished from deliberate diversion.
Use financing instruments only with authority
The framework would not give enterprise grants credit-underwriting powers. Any lending or guarantee window would require separate legal authority, compatible contributor terms, competent administration and funded loss provisions. Authorised lenders would assess repayment capacity and disclose costs and remedies; unaffordable debt would not become a route to apparent success.
Protect equitable participation
Recruitment would publish criteria and appeals and budget the support people actually need. Employers would need lawful pay, safe conditions, reasonable disability adjustments and confidential reporting outside employer management. Evaluation would examine displacement, prolonged unpaid labour, care burdens, harassment and harmful debt.
Intended outcomes
Planned outcomes are sustained lawful paid activity and higher real earned income after support. Follow-up would retain original cohorts, missing participants, zero and negative income, hours, safety and subsidy expiry. Improved participant results would be reported as outcomes or contribution evidence unless a credible causal design establishes what change is attributable to THESO finance.
Protection and access
Support would address care, travel, disability and documentation barriers, with no coercive labour or required disclosure of sensitive experiences. Serious concerns would trigger protection and lawful alternatives. Closure would retain a financed route for unresolved complaints and an accountable institution for records and referrals.
Long term direction
The 2050 objective is productive, safe and remunerated work through viable enterprises and capable domestic services. Transfer would require demonstrated operating authority, personnel and replacement cash. Automation would need economic justification and a workforce transition plan; subsidies would remain visible during review.
Who would do what
| Party | Role |
|---|---|
| Employers, training providers and employment institutions | Substantiate opportunities, deliver assistance, supervise safe work and preserve participant records. |
| National authorities and authorised lenders | Retain employment law, public entitlements, business regulation and any separately authorised lending responsibility. |
| Participants and enterprises | Make informed participation and commercial decisions and access independent complaint, correction and appeal routes. |
| THESO and independent outcome teams | Appraise partners, allocate temporary grant finance and commission checks separate from placement delivery; preserve attribution limits. |
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Planned measures
These are planned indicators. No result has been measured or verified yet.
- Indicator 09. Sustained work after livelihood support
- Indicator 10. Real earned income after livelihood support
Discuss this area
Discuss an employment or enterprise pathway
Provide evidence of demand, participant barriers, safe working terms, subsidy duration and the plan for income and service finance after support ends.
Draft framework wording