The City of Philadelphia launched the Quality Jobs Program (QJP), a fund that invests in eligible businesses creating new full-time employment opportunities that pay a living wage and include health insurance benefits for Philadelphia residents. The City is committed to making Philadelphia more economically competitive while driving inclusive growth to build a vibrant economy that benefits everyone.
The Quality Jobs Program is a pilot program of the Department of Commerce. The goal is to attract, retain and help businesses grow in our city while incentivizing employers to hire Philadelphia residents in jobs that pay family-sustaining wages.
Eligibility guidelines
A quality job as defined by the pilot program, must:
- Be located in Philadelphia.
- Be offered to Philadelphia residents.
- Be full-time, permanent position working 30 hours or more per week or 1,500 hours or more per year. Cannot be defined as a temporary position or independent contractor.
- Pay hourly wage as defined in Philadelphia 21st Century Minimum Wage Standard for all existing and new full-time jobs. Currently sets minimum wage at $15.71/hour through June 2024 and will be adjusted annually thereafter based on increases in Consumer Price Index.
- Business must be registered as a for-profit entity with the City of Philadelphia with a BIRT Account number. Business must be in operation for at least one year prior to participating in the Quality Jobs Program. Home-based businesses are not eligible to participate in the Quality Jobs Program.
The business must also provide to its Philadelphia-based employees:
- Employer-sponsored health insurance covering at least 50% of the cost or facilitating access to health insurance coverage (for example, by providing a stipend to purchase insurance on the healthcare exchanges).
- Paid time off. The employer must offer a paid leave benefit to match or exceed the current City requirement for paid sick leave (1 hour for every 40 hours worked), regardless of the number of employees.
Grant program details
The grant amount reimbursed through the Quality Jobs Program is based on the total number of new jobs created for Philadelphia residents. The participating business must commit to fulfilling one of the two options below within one year of application approval to meet program requirements:
- For a business with less than 25 full-time employees
- Commit to a growth rate of 20 percent for its full-time workforce in Philadelphia. Example: a company of five full-time employees will qualify by creating one new full-time job.
- For a business with more than 25 full-time employees
- Commit to creating at least five new full-time jobs.
Participating businesses must submit a final performance report at the end of the one-year grant term and will then receive a grant of $5,000 per new job created, up to a maximum of $125,000 per grant award. While funding remains available, the grant program will continue to accept new applications from businesses (including previous grant recipients) ready to create new quality jobs within a one-year period.
How to apply
The inquiry form is available online.
Questions and feedback about the Quality Jobs Program can be directed via email to QualityJobs@Phila.gov.
Businesses are encouraged to complete the inquiry form for review. The program manager will determine if the business is eligible to submit the full Quality Jobs Program application and be formally considered after minimum business requirements are confirmed.
