During a visit to the Web Summit, Secretary of State for Labor Miguel Fontes spoke to DN/Dinheiro Vivo about what still needs to be done in the departments he coordinates as the government takes over management. With a “bittersweet feeling” between what has been done and what is still in the drawer, the government official emphasizes the valorization of the role of young people in the labor market, namely through IRS Jovem, free daycare centers, or the Avançar program, which supports offers to employ qualified young people after secondary education, with a salary of no less than 1330 euros. Currently, he reveals, there are 600 applications for this support measure, which aims to reach 25 thousand young people by 2026.
The figure of the “student-worker” has yet to be implemented, which has nothing to do with the existing worker-student regime, and which results from the income agreement signed with the social partners. The project, which Miguel Fontes considers innovative, aims to ensure that every young person from the age of 16 who is still studying “can have contact with the labor market, under conditions of appreciation, with a view to gaining experience”.
In order to compete with Europe in terms of talent, the government official believes it is necessary to guarantee the autonomy of young people, “so that they do not become infantilized”, and so that they acquire a culture of responsibility. “We must encourage them to come into contact with the labor market earlier, without this distracting them from their main task, namely studying,” he emphasizes.
With the government in management, Miguel Fontes emphasizes the work on valuing the role of young people in the labor market, namely through IRS Jovem.
The State Secretary believes that the outgoing government will not be able to make the project operational in the time that remains, but leaves open the possibility that it will become part of the PS election manifesto for the elections scheduled for March 10 next year . . “Regardless of who takes charge of the Socialist Party, these initiatives will have the opportunity to be included in the party’s election manifesto,” he assumes.
Asked about the potential flight of young qualified national talents, motivated by the insecurity of employment contracts, low salaries compared to those in other European countries, and the increase in the cost of housing, Miguel Fontes assumes that “it would be irresponsible to say that he would not fear this scenario,” especially after the efforts the country has made over the past thirty years to qualify the population in general, and young people in particular. “We must do everything we can to develop this talent to appreciate and help to stay here, and to attract talent from abroad.” However, he emphasizes: “we are not witnessing this bloodshed that is often referred to as people leaving Portugal.” The State Secretary quotes figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) that point to the “very significant” creation of skilled jobs for young graduates in recent years.
The attraction of talent in the opposite direction, bringing qualified resources to Portugal, will not be stopped, according to Miguel Fontes, by the end of the non-habitual resident status, as provided for in the 2024 state budget proposal, and that the PS is preparing ahead of change and gives another year, until the end of 2024, to join the regime.
The Secretary of State for Labor believes that anyone who chooses to settle temporarily in Portugal does so because he “recognizes that the country has a vibrant ecosystem of talent, entrepreneurship and innovation, which offers quality of life and security”.
With Ana Maria Ramos (TSF) and Bruno Contreiras Mateus
Journalist working for Dinheiro Vivo
Source: DN
