One main line of activity at Bilbao Ekintza includes the improvement of the employability of young people and the unemployed. For this it develops employment plans focussed on offering job experience to these groups. In addition, it sets up projects directed at their training, in order to facilitate their access to the labour market and to contribute to the socio-economic development of the city.
Employment Plan
Bilbao City Council, through the municipal entity Bilbao Ekintza and jointly funded by Lanbide and the Basque Employment Service, develops and implements this Plan, which revolves around two basic lines of action:
Boosting Employment
In this line, Bilbao Ekintza employees people for the development of public interest activities. The requirements for access are to be unemployed and registered as a job seeker with Lanbide, to belong to one of the groups with particular insertion difficulties, also defined by the Basque Employment Service (for example recipient of the income guarantee benefit, under 35 years old, over 45 years old and 6 months unemployed or registered as a job seeker for at least 12 months in the last 18 months prior to the contract or be over 55 years old). In addition, they must be residents in the city of Bilbao.
The contract may last a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 6 months, working full or part-time (minimum 50%), as long as access to the selection process for the job is through Lanbide.
Recruitment Subsidies
This line aims to boost the creation of jobs by offering economic subsidies to local companies for recruiting unemployed people.
In this case, they must also be registered as a job seeker with Lanbide.
There are a variety of different grants offered to businesses for recruitment:
- Subsidy of €3000 maximum, per contract for full-time employment for 3 months
- Subsidy of €6000 maximum, per contract for full-time employment for 6 months or more.
- Subsidy of €9000 maximum, per contract for an unemployed person belonging to a group with insertion difficulties as defined by Lanbide, for full-time employment for 6 months or more.
- Subsidy for part-time employment for between 3 and 6 months. The subsidy awarded will be proportional to hours worked, which should not be less than 50% of the full working day.
