Empower Work: 11.3% of beneficiaries could be discharged for not completing their data and in February they will receive 50% of the program

The Minister of Social Development, Victoria Tolosa Paz, announced today that more than 11% of the beneficiaries are subject to “being suspended” from receiving the Empower Work and that as of next month, when the January payment is made, they will receive 50% of the benefit, if they do not initiate a “claim instance” that will be opened by the portfolio for that purpose. After having concluded yesterday the period stipulated for the beneficiaries to validate their data, the head of the portfolio gave a press conference at Casa Rosada, where she assured that her management currently has “more certainties than doubts” about the people who make up the registry and guaranteed that the efforts will be aimed “at the most vulnerable population, young people, who showed great interest in continuing their education or training for work, and women”, who constitute 67% of the total number of enrollees.” We have many more certainties and we can say that these people do not have registrable assets, that they did not buy dollars and do not present incompatibilities with the Empower Work, “said Tolosa Paz, while ensuring that the result of the survey is in the hands of justice, when asked about the alleged incompatibilities found by the AFIP months ago. In that sense, the head of the portfolio recalled that last December the immediate and definitive withdrawal of 2,243 holders of the Empower Work was ordered -less than 0.3% of the beneficiaries- for having acquired dollars savings and consumption in dollars with a credit card. that is, 88.7% of those registered in the Progresar Trabajo, of which the largest segment is made up of young people between 18 and 29 years old (39.1%). Tolosa Paz affirmed that 39.1% of the beneficiaries of the program are young people between 18 and 29 years old, and emphasized the priority of “finding a way out from the educational offer” or in the continuity of a “path of labor training”, from the Foment program and the centers of articulation of policies of the ministry, In addition, Tolosa Paz made an evaluation regarding the results of the audit on the program and considered that the survey brought to light a large amount of information that will serve to “direct the effort of the State” with greater precision. In this framework, the 154,441 people who did not validate their identity “are subject to being suspended” from the program, although they will receive 50% of the amount corresponding to January in February, while a “claim instance” is transited. So they would imply a fiscal impact of “more than 2,500 million pesos,” although he stressed that those who have had “geographical difficulties” to validate their data can still reverse that situation. The audit showed that of the total number of beneficiaries, 1,134,472 people carry out productive or community activities; 46,471 are undergoing training courses and 29,628 are completing formal studies. Of the total, 60% of them did not finish primary or secondary education and, of that group of people with incomplete studies, 79.2% want to “continue with their educational career” and, of them, 56% said they were “very interested” in undertaking that path. Also, the survey made visible that 1,050,833 holders “want to start or continue job training paths”, that is, 86.8% of the total.

Original source in Spanish