Fátima Báñez claims that 4 out of every 10 young people under the age of 25 that find a job in the European Union do so in Spain or Portugal

Under the 'Shuttle' Project, an idea by José María Peridis - creator of the Santa María la Real Foundation - 364 employment 'shuttles' have been launched since 2013 involving more than 7,000 unemployed people, with an average of more than 50% consequently finding work, one of the highest job activation percentages in a public-private collaboration.

In her speech, Fátima Báñez referred to the results achieved thanks to the efforts of all concerned, with projects such as these 'shuttles' "that have offered so many job opportunities. Consequently, we will continue by using as many tools as are available to us at the different tiers of government and clearly through the use of such resources as Europe offers us under the European Social Fund and the Youth Guarantee Programme".

The Minister for Employment explained that when the government came to power, the unemployment rate had risen from 18% to almost 48.14%, an increase of some 30 points, and during that period, half of the new young people to lose their job were in Spain, according to Eurostat figures.

"Now, youth employment is growing at a rate of close on 10% (9.88%) and the youth unemployment rate has fallen by 15 points since hitting its peak. In just the last year, this has fallen by 4.84 percentage points on the first quarter of 2016", she pointed out.

At the end of her speech, Fátima Báñez urged these projects to continue "in order to view the future with confidence and in the knowledge that those who will build it - our young people - also have a present".