France’s Socialist government is fast-tracking the launch of a scheme to create 150,000 state-sponsored jobs for the young, aiming to reverse a slide in the approval ratings of President François Hollande.
The programme, which will offer mainly public sector contracts to poorly qualified youngsters from city suburbs and rural areas, has found little support among labour economists and employers, some of whom argue it is costly and offers few guarantees of long-term employment.
However, labour minister Michel Sapin said the focus would be on creating long- term jobs and professional training. “This is not about fixing the numbers,” he said.
Nearly one in four French youngsters is out of work. – (Reuters)