Support for reinforced Youth Guarantee: Council adopts Commission’s proposal for a Recommendation on a Bridge to Jobs

On Friday, 30 October 2020, the Council has adopted the Commission’s proposal for a Council Recommendation on a Bridge to Jobs from 1 July 2020, reinforcing the existing Youth Guarantee. The Recommendation steps up the comprehensive job support available to young people across the EU and makes it more targeted and inclusive, also when it comes to the challenges caused by the pandemic. Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, said: “As the unprecedented crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionally affect young people, there is an overwhelming agreement that we need to act fast. The newly adopted Recommendation aims to give young people all possible opportunities to develop their full potential, and to thrive in the world of work and beyond. It is backed up by significant EU financing under NextGenerationEU and the future MFF, which will help young Europeans find their way into a fast-changing job market. I encourage Member States to make best use of the money for the benefit of the next generation.” Young people signing up to the Youth Guarantee are entitled to receive an offer of employment, continued education, traineeship or apprenticeship within four months of leaving formal education or becoming unemployed. Since 2014, each year more than 3.5 million young people registered in the Youth Guarantee accepted such an offer. Under the new Recommendation, the Youth Guarantee reaches out to a broader target group of up to 29-year-olds. It also adopts a more tailored approach by providing young people, in particular vulnerable ones, with guidance especially suited to their individual needs and the green and digital transition of our economies. Ensuring young people have adequate digital skills is a top priority.