Speech by the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

Full text of the speech delivered today by Maria João Carreiro, Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, during the discussion of the Plan and Budget for 2026:

"The public investment proposal of the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment for 2026 exceeds €148.4 million, representing an increase of €33 million compared to 2025.

More than just a forecast, the Investment Plan for 2026 reiterates the Azorean Government's commitment to continue working for the personal development of the Azorean people, for social justice and for the strengthening of the economy. 

Unemployment is at an all-time low.

The employed population is at an all-time high.

There are more young people in employment in the Azores.

There are more jobs - above all, more stable and better-paid jobs.

There is confidence in a Government that increases housing support when families need it most, and promotes more and better housing solutions. 

In the Plan for 2026:

We are committed to completing the ongoing implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) and to ensuring that this investment produces tangible results for the well-being and quality of life of the Azorean people.

We guarantee our duty to continue supporting young people and adults in accessing stable employment and families in their right to decent housing.

We reinforce our commitment to implementing a transformative governance agenda that is generating improvements in the lives of families and businesses.

Regarding youth, we propose an investment of two million Euros to promote a culture of personal investment by young people in their civic and social education.

In 2026, young people will continue to have access to programmes providing opportunities for participation, involvement in associations, volunteering, mobility, entrepreneurship, and socio-professional occupation.

Between 2020 and 2025, we increased the number of youth associations or similar organisations from 14 to 28, with all that this entails for mobilising young people and building confidence in a policy that encourages young people to organise themselves with shared interests.

Between 2024 and 2025, more than €816,000 was invested in implementing the activity plans of youth associations, both in equipment and headquarters.

For 2026, we are increasing support for youth associations by €75,000 and public investment in creativity, inclusion and literacy by €110,000.

In addition to established programmes such as "Entrepreneurial Academy – School of Leaders," "Interjovem Card," “Bento de Góis,” “MOOV” and “AECT”, we are adding ambition to the newly created programmes, namely “Digital Youth," “REDES” and "Summer in Occupation."

These are programmes with a real impact on young people's lives, as is also the case with the "+ Youth" package. It is designed to attract and retain talent in municipalities, islands and companies, under which about half a million Euros has already been invested to date in the "Salary Promotion Measure" and "Return Home" initiatives.

For housing, the Investment Plan for 2026 increases regional and EU funding by more than 70%, totalling €65.6 million, with a view to developing new housing solutions for different situations and age groups.

Housing has been and will continue to be a priority for the Government of the Azores.

All procedures under the RRP for housing have already been launched and will be implemented by August 31, 2026.

This is our commitment.

There were around 150 procedures for 767 housing solutions already completed, in progress, or to be completed, including renovations, construction, and servicing of plots, representing an overall investment of € 65 million.

While many claimed that the Government would not be able to implement the RRP, we worked on settling, acquiring and registering land ownership, issuing permits and implementing projects that should have been done more than a decade ago and prevented the beginning of the works planned for the RRP.

For 2026, we will increase housing promotion by €27 million to continue addressing a housing deficit caused by years of disinvestment in housing construction and building maintenance.

In addition to this intervention to strengthen supply – which is not limited to compliance with the PRR and requires the mobilisation of everyone, including local authorities, cooperatives and the private sector – we are also taking action on the side of demand.

For 2026, we will maintain the 20% increase in incentives for leasing and the 50% increase in incentives for subleasing.

For 2026, we remain committed to the Lease with Purchase Option Scheme. It meets the needs of young Azoreans in accessing their first home, away from interest rate fluctuations and without jeopardising their financial sustainability.

Also for 2026, we are expanding the pool of eligible applicants for access to serviced plots granted by the Region for subsequent housing construction.

With this change, a young couple with two children and a gross monthly income of €3,100 or a young couple with one child and a gross monthly income of €2,850, who were previously excluded from this support, are now eligible.

In addition to revising the maximum household income coefficients, we have added a non-repayable financial contribution for the acquisition of architectural and specialties projects up to a maximum limit of €5,000 per beneficiary.

For 2026, we are also increasing support for self-build projects on plots provided by the Region or on private land by 25%. With this change, a young couple with two children and a gross monthly income of €2,500, for example, will be able to benefit from support of up to €21,000, instead of the current €16,500.

Investing in the Azoreans and strengthening the economy requires a committed and decisive commitment to Vocational Training and Employment.

In 2026, investment in training the unemployed for the labour market, promoting occupations and improving job quality will amount to €79 million, an increase of €5.8 million compared to 2025.

Among the measures to support employment, I highlight the continuation of CONTRATAR with a view to continuing to encourage job stability and salaries matching workers' qualifications, including young people, who now find in public employment policies a stimulus to their development rather than precariousness.

Within the scope of the Social Employment Market, we will move forward with the implementation and execution of Ser+, a new measure to support the development of socially useful activities, aimed at unemployed people registered with the Training and Employment Centre, as well as Social Integration Income beneficiaries.

For next year, we will increase public investment in vocational training. This amounts to €35 million, €5.8 million more than in 2025, to continue promoting access for Azoreans, young people and adults, employed and unemployed, to training and skills tailored to the needs of our economy.

In 2026, the work at the Azores Training Centre, under the RRP, will be completed, marking a new phase in the public provision of training and qualifications in close coordination with companies and sectors of activity, aligned with the commitment in the Regional Agenda for Vocational Training.

The course has been set.

The strategy has been established.

It is the sound policies we have been pursuing that have brought us good results.

For this reason, this Investment Plan for 2026 is consistent and coherent with a form of governance that does not resign itself to economic difficulties but, on the contrary, rolls up its sleeves and sees challenges as an opportunity to work with the Azorean people to build an even more inclusive, cohesive, and resilient Region."