Recruitment subsidy helps unemployed young people find work in Satakunta

A recruitment subsidy for unemployed people under 30 has helped 24-year-old Jemina Kettunen find work at a café in Pori, Yle reports. The subsidy has been well received in the Satakunta employment area.

Kettunen had been unemployed for months before starting at Petra’s Cafe, where she has worked for about a week. She said she was relieved to be working again.

“At last I can pay my bills and support myself,” Kettunen said.

The confectionery professional works under a permanent employment contract. She found the café’s job advertisement on social media and said she had landed the profession she had dreamed of since childhood.

Café owner Petra Onnela said the subsidy had lowered the threshold for hiring an unemployed young person. She described the application process as straightforward.

“Applying for the subsidy was incredibly easy. It took a couple of phone calls and entering the jobseeker’s details,” Onnela said.

The recruitment subsidy has a nationwide budget of 30 million euros. It is expected to help employ between 3,300 and 4,400 young people this year and next year.

The conditions were significantly eased at the beginning of July. There is no longer a minimum length for the period of unemployment before hiring, and companies, associations and foundations can apply for the subsidy.

The subsidy covers half of a young person’s wages for up to six months, with a maximum of 1,500 euros per month. The employment contract must last at least three months, and the subsidy must be applied for before the employment begins.

In the Satakunta employment area, which covers the Pori region, the subsidy became available in April. Officials have made around 40 positive funding decisions across a range of industries, employment manager Jenni Ketonen said.

Demand appears to have increased since the eased conditions came into force in July. Satakunta still has about half of its allocated subsidy funds available.

The employment situation for young people in the region remains weak. In July, the under-25 age group recorded the largest number of new unemployed people.

Ketonen encouraged employers to consider hiring unemployed young people with the help of the recruitment subsidy.