Spain’s strategy to tackle youth unemployment. Data for Latin America to reflect on.

According to information published by the agency Europa Press, the Spanish State Secretary of Employment, Engracia Hidalgo, stated that increasing unemployed people’ employability is key  to tackle youth unemployment. Otherwise, structural unemployment will be stronger.

She made these statements on Monday, during the inauguration of the conference on youth unemployment in Europe, organized by BBVA, where German and Spanish youngsters analysed the main challenges they face.

Hidalgo said that lower training results into higher unemployment rates. She claimed that continuous training is a key tool for unemployed people. And she made it clear that “the paradigm of having only one job during your entire life is over”.

The secretary of Employment highlighted the importance of Dual Training, which has been a success in Germany and that “will soon be in Spain as well”. Along these lines, 400.000 training and learning contracts have been developed since 2012 and 88% of these contracts were generated within companies with up to 25 workers.

The incentives to hire promoted by the Ministry, such as the flat rate of 50 euros for self-employed people, reached 242.000 persons under 30 years old.

100 measures have been developed within the Entrepreneurship and Youth Employment Strategy. 85% of these measures have been implemented and over 400.000 youngsters have benefited from them. It is a “very important” public-private articulation strategy, and over 900 entities and foundations have registered in it.

In this context, 67.000 youngsters signed up for the youth warranty, a program that offers participants the chance of having a job offer or a training program within 4 to 6 months.