Catalan Government assigns €53.4 million to unemployment program, 34% over last year

The Catalan Government approved on Monday the authorization for a €53.4 million budget for the “Employment and Training” program run by the Servei Públic d’Ocupació de Catalunya (SOC; the Public Employment Service), a 34% increase over the previous year.

Through this program, the SOC provides subsidies to provide unemployed people with work experience and training to help them increase their employability.

“Employment and Training” is aimed at people who are out of work but are not eligible for unemployment benefits or subsidies, particularly those above 45 years of age and those who benefit from the minimum income program (Renda Mínima d’Inserció, or RMI).

A new feature this year is that the beneficiaries of this program do not necessarily have to have used up their benefits or subsidies; rather, they simply cannot currently have them. This way, it includes people such as self-employed workers, who have never received benefits.

Another new element is that the program will make €8 million available to women who are victims of domestic violence and women who are not long-term beneficiaries of unemployment benefits or subsidies.

The program offers 6 or 12 month periods of full-time work and training for which, as in the previous year, the recommended monthly salary for contracted individuals is set at a minimum of €1,000.

The groups that may apply for the “Employment and Training” program’s subsidies include local institutions (city and county councils, or, in their place, regional organizations) and non-profit organizations that are legally established with a work center in Catalonia.