Retain talent, support young talent

Young people under the age of 35 will be able to benefit from more active employment policies. Keeping in line with the Government’s programme goals, measures to support employment were introduced and reformulated during the Council of Ministers by the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho.

 The Minister took into account that although the unemployment rate dropped to 6.1% in the second quarter of 2024, youth unemployment (22%) is still much greater than the rate recorded for the overall population. This raises he need to have more measures to retain talent, investing in the generation that represents Portugal’s future.

 Accordingly, the +Talent programme was set up for qualified unemployed young people. The programme assists with internships and offers financial incentives to hiring qualified youths, for an indetermined period, with wages not lower than a graduate equivalent in the career for qualified staff in Public Administration. The +Talent seeks to finance 15,000 internships and support 2,500 contracts.

 The +Employment programme was also presented to finance unemployed persons registered with the Employment and Vocational Training Institute (IEFP) to have indefinite term work contract. This assistance, which is offered to every unemployed person once registered with the IEFP for three years in a year is available for young people as soon as they register, making it easier for them to enter the labour market. +Employment seeks to assist with 20,000 contracts.

Iniciar (Start) was also presented, a programme to assist with internships mostly for young people, aiming to make it easier for them to enter the labour market. The target is to finance 6,500 internships.