The Association of private employment agencies has requested political groups to agree on labour market reforms to ensure its stability. Asempleo bets on developing a specialized diagnosis on employment to adjust training for the unemployed to new demands.

The president of Asempleo, Andreu Cruañas, has pointed out that urgent measures must be taken to train unemployed people through permanent guidance.

According to Asempleo, there is a large number of high-skilled jobs that cannot be filled due to the lack of skilled workers. This employment variances require a level of specialization that Spain does not currently offer.

However, when referring to the current labour market situation, Cruañas has explained that people with medium levels of training, technical engineering degrees, and with professional training degrees are the ones with the highest levels of employability.

Consequently, the president of Asempleo has stated that there is a need to work on the challenges of the future -adapting employees’ training to the most demanded jobs-, as well as on the problems of the past, in order to manage current unemployed people.

Asempleo considers their proposals to be the first step to change the labour market. However, the effects of today’s work shall not show results immediately. “Therefore, a national employment agreement is needed”, said Cruañas. An agreement that, according to Asempleo, must be developed together with an educational agreement.

Among the proposals of Asempleo for the next government are: specific regulations to reduce informal employment; implementation of reforms to tackle illegal temporary work; elimination of unjustified restrictions to temporary employment agencies, following the European regulations.

As regards the first job, Asempleo stated that temporary employment agencies must be able to use every form of labour contract with young people, in order to have greater opportunities of access and placement.

Asempleo has also requested that private employment services may be involved in the design and implementation of active policies and that improvements be made on relocation plans for workers included in the employment regulation files.

Furthermore, the association suggested developing a specific labour contract model that enhances and guarantees the proper use of temporality.

Asempleo highlighted its doubts regarding the unique contract. “There is not even one country around the world that uses this contract” said Cruañas. He also stated that permanent contracts do not ensure a stable job. “That can be guaranteed with guidance and constant training, which are elements that make workers remain competitive”.

Cruañas explained that not every kind of temporality is “bad” and that if the unique contract was implemented it should be adapted to justified temporality, considering the characteristics of the Spanish economy, mainly based on services.

Asempleo has also pointed out the critical situation of people who have profiles that extremely hard to be adapted and that need help to enter the labour market.

In addition Cruañas explained that self-employment is not a panacea, but it works for companies that outsource services. An independent worker does not necessarily have to create a company, but he/she may offer a service.

As regards the government’s proposal of extending to four years the period of time for a company to make social security contributions for a new worker with unique contract, Cruañas said that “it is always best to encourage permanent employment than to penalize temporary employment, as this helps the economy.”

Finally, and because of the disability day, Cruañas said that “disabled people have suffered a setback in labour insertion” and they have an employment rate of only 24.5%.