The Vice-President of the Government congratulated Azorean companies that, through regional programmes to support hiring, created 4,690 new jobs, of which more than 60 percent are permanent.

A total of 3,430 new jobs have already been created under the Integra programme in the Region. If we also take into consideration the PIIE traineeship programme, we have a total of 4,690 new jobs created only under these two business support programmes for employment creation," said Sérgio Ávila.

The Vice-President spoke Wednesday during the visit to two companies located in the municipality of Ponta Delgada that, together, hired forty workers. On the occasion, he had the opportunity to contact entrepreneurs and workers, many are of whom are young people, stressing that this was "a decisive contribution to the positive development of employment and the reduction of unemployment."
 
"It is worth remembering that we have managed to decrease unemployed by half in the last three years and to ensure that 12,200 more Azoreans are employed today," Sérgio Ávila stressed, noting that the Region currently has "the highest number of employees in the last eight years."
 
The government official also highlighted the combination of factors that contributed to these results, namely "economic growth, growth of disposable income" and "these support specific programmes for employment creation. According to the results presented, they were extremely successful."
 
Sérgio Ávila expressed his satisfaction with the fact that most hired workers have kept their jobs after the period of public financial support for a year as they are already in a situation of permanent employment relationship.
 
"I would like to point out the contribution of companies and workers to the excellent employment results the Azores registered in these companies, which have been exemplary in this matter, as in others, and have the opportunity to congratulate them," said the Vice-President.
 
Sérgio Ávila visited the hotel unit of AçorSonho Group in the village of Fenais da Luz, which created 23 new jobs supported under the Integra programme, while Líder Frutas, with a new commercial space in Ponta Delgada, hired 16 workers.
 
The Integra and PIIE programmes provide financial support to the entity for a maximum period of 12 months for each job created and the respective vacancy filled, through full-time fixed-term contracts or contracts of indefinite duration.
 
The PIIE programme is a measure that falls under the strategic policy pursued by the Azorean Government to promote youth employment in the Region.
 
Being a measure to support the first job, the programme has played a key role in companies and other entities.