Brasília, October 23, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - On Wednesday (22), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed the bill creating the First Job Program, which will, by the end of next year, assure occupational opportunities to 260 thousand young people between 16 and 24 years of age. The government will invest R$ 139 million, and the program will be operating in 10 Brazilian capitals.

Initially, the program will only serve youngsters who are enrolled in the National Employment System (Sine), but the government intends to to increase these numbers through tax incentives to attract companies. The benefits will vary between R$ 100 paid every two months for six months to companies whose earnings surpass R$ 1.2 million and R$ 200 for companies with earnings no greater than R$ 1.2 million.

Unemployment among young people worries President Lula. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), 45% of the 7.7 million unemployed in Brazil are young people. During a rapid ceremony, the President joked with photographers and cameramen, saying that whoever has unemployed siblings 16-24 years old can approach the Minister of Labor, Jaques Wagner, to solve the problem. (DAS)