In a bid to help Portugal’s growing number of young jobless, the Government has a launched an employment scheme for the 25s and under.
Under the terms of the Stimulus 2012 (Estímulo 2012) programme, the Government will offer incentives to companies to contract the out-of-work and particularly the youth unemployed.
The State will pay up to 60% of the contracted salary to a maximum value of €419.22 for six months.
The aim is that the companies should give the unemployed the valuable on-the-job training and work experience needed to break the vicious cycle of no job without experience and no experience without a job.
In general terms, the State will pay 50% of the employee’s salary but the support can climb to 60% under the following circumstances: if the employer offers a full-time contract, if the person is getting social insertion benefit, is 25 or under, is disabled or is a person who has only completed the 9th secondary education grade, and finally if the person has been registered at an employment centre for more than 12 months.
The measure will only embrace companies that have five or more employees over the past 12 months and intend to keep that average or extend it for a further six months.
If the company fires the recently-contracted person, it will have to refund the grant. Each company can contract up to 20 unemployed under the scheme.
Further information in Portuguese and English can be found on the Government’s new website at www.portugal.gov.pt.
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