Reducing the youth unemployment rate in Spain has become an indispensable goal to which more money is dedicated each year. In order to facilitate the hiring of young people, whether for work experience or when offering them temporary or indefinite contracts, various public administrations are providing businesses and self-employed people with a wide range of economic aid options.
 

  • The government of Spain: The incentives for hiring young people aged 16 to 30 who have signed up to the Youth Guarantee programme differ depending on the size of the company and the type of contract, whether it is for training and learning, work experience, or a part-time contract linked to training. There are also bonuses for self-employed workers enrolled in the National Youth Guarantee System.
  • State Public Employment Service: Bonuses and subsidies for businesses for hiring people under the age of 30 who are registered with an employment office. The amount varies depending on the type of contract: for example, there is a 100% subsidy in the share for common contingencies in companies that employ fewer than 250 workers and 75% for companies with the same or a greater number of employees for hiring people part time but linked to training programmes. This aid from the State Public Employment Service will remain in effect until the unemployment rate drops below 15%. 
     
  • Basque Government: The Lehen Aukera programme provides subsidies so that companies or other entities located in the Basque Country can hire people for training purposes or to offer indefinite term contracts to young people who are registered in the Lanbide-Basque Employment Service for jobs related to their qualifications. Indefinite term or training contracts must be signed before 10 December and the workday must be full-time or part-time, but always greater than 70% of the hours set out in the worker’s collective agreement. The deadline for companies to apply for the subsidy, which ranges between 2,800 euros and 7,600 euros depending on the type and length of the contract, ends on 10 December.  
     
  • Provincial Council of Bizkaia: The programme for promoting the employability of young people under the age of 30 subsidises indefinite term contracts that are signed for more than one year, as well as training and work experience contracts that last one year for young unemployed people who have completed a job guidance course, group training, and intermediation processes. This initiative, which is aimed at companies in Bizkaia with fewer than 250 workers, subsidises 25% of the gross salary for contracts lasting twelve months and 35% in all other cases. The deadline for applying ends on 15 September.
     
  • La Caixa: The Obra Social (Social Work) of this financial entity has extended the deadline to apply for aid until 28 February 2018. This aid is for temporary and indefinite term contracts offered to young people aged 16 to 29 and registered with the Youth Guarantee System. The “La Caixa” Youth Employment programme is intended as direct aid to companies, self-employed workers, and non-profit entities to contribute to the reduction of unemployment among this sector of the population. This initiative has a budget of 21.7 million euros, of which 20 million comes from the European Social Fund and the rest from the Fundación Bancaria “la Caixa”.