Croatia to take new measures to increase youth employment

Croatia would take new measures from 2015 to stimulate labor market in the face of massive youth unemployment, local media report on Friday.
The measures included a monthly fee for young employees, which will increase to 390 U.S. dollars in 2015 from current 260 U.S. dollars.
Additionally, employers who employ youth workers will not have to pay wage contributions for pension and health funds for those aged under 29.
Money for these additional costs will partly come from rearranging income taxes and partly from European Union fund, the report said.
Croatia will receive some 75 million U.S. dollars from the European Social Fund to help stimulate youth employment in 2015.
The government will also lay down policies to encourage vocational schools and enterprises to create more chances for the youth.
Croatia started its policy for unemployed youth in 2012, offering them a one-year professional training and paying them 260 U.S. dollars monthly.
Some 22,000 young people have been trained through this program, with 60 percent of them were permanently employed after a yearlong process.
Youth (from 15 to 25) unemployment in Croatia has reached 48.7 percent, the third largest after Greece and Spain in the European Union.