As the social economy sector continues to grow across Spain, in Murcia the regional government has allocated €300,000 to enable youth to join social enterprises, particularly co-operatives. The programme could help young people below the age of 25 become members of co-operatives or social enterprises, by granting €7,000 for each member joining the society.
Co-ops and social enterprises will also receive funding to provide training for young people to help them learn more about the sector. José Gabriel Ruiz, counsellor on Presidency and Employment for the Autonomous Community of Murcia, announced the launch of the programme following a meeting with Juan Antonio Pedreño, president of the Spanish Confederation of Social Economy (CEPES) and the Co-operative Union of Murcia.
Mr Gabriel Ruiz said the initiative was part of the regional government’s strategy to provide jobs for young people. He also highlighted how in 2014 co-operatives received subsidies from the autonomous community, welcoming 198 new members. Nineteen of these were young people aged 25 or under. The Community has invested over €4m in recent years to support the sector.
The social economy currently contributes 12.5% to Spain’s gross domestic product (GDP). Last year the co-operative sector, which includes 24,600 co-operatives, had a turnover of €132,310m.
In Murcia the percentage of young people active in co-operatives is higher than at national level, with the youth accounting for 5.3% of membership (4.8% at national level). Similarly, 46.4% of members are aged 25-39, as opposed to 40.2% across Spain.
“The region of Murcia is a national leader in this sector and counts on 20,000 co-operators”, said Mr Gabriel Ruiz. Only in 2014 Murcia has had 133 new co-operatives, the highest rate in four years, an increase of 52.87% from the previous year, when 87 co-operatives had been created. These new co-operatives provided 520 new jobs.
The counsellor also mentioned the important role played by social enterprises and co-operatives in the region’s economy, highlighting their resilience at times of crisis. He said the sector has served as a “buffer” in terms of employment across Murcia. According to Mr Gabriel Ruiz, working groups will be created to draft the region’s next Social Economy Pact for 2015 -2016.
Photo: José Gabriel Ruiz and Juan Antonio Pedreño during the meeting where they discussed the programme to boost youth employment in social enterprises.
