The importance of investing in citizens’ skills and vocational education as a key means of training qualified human resources and as a response to the shortage of skilled labour was one of the key topics discussed at this morning’s meeting, with Mário Passos once again emphasising the need for greater coordination between the Ministries of Labour and Education to better align training provision with the needs of the productive sector. 

Employment and labour market issues also naturally received attention at this meeting. 

The mayor of Famalicão highlighted to the Secretary of State some of the indicators attesting to the robustness and good health of the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão. This is the case with the unemployment figures. Famalicão ended last January with 4,059 registered unemployed, maintaining an unemployment rate below the national average. But also the trend in the average monthly earnings of employees – which in Famalicão stands at €1,347 and is one of the highest in the district – the growth in the resident population (136,349 inhabitants in 2024) and the growth in the number of businesses (15,707 in 2022), amongst others.

Accompanied by the Councillor for the Economy and Entrepreneurship, Augusto Lima, Mário Passos also noted that the close ties the local authority maintains with the various economic and social stakeholders in the municipality – such as businesses, schools and the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training – have been crucial in enabling the area to anticipate and respond effectively to the challenges it currently faces.