President Piñera highlights the importance of the Labor Agenda during International Workers’ Day celebration

The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, visited the Hospital del Trabajador as part of the day celebrating officials from across Chile. He began by touring the hospital and greeting patients who have had work-related accidents in recent weeks.

During his speech, he stressed the importance of the Labor Agenda for the Government, and sent his greetings to the nine million Chileans who make up the country's workforce, placing special emphasis on the need to create many high-quality jobs for the 600,000 unemployed, and the need to include women and young people in this process.

“I’d like to focus on the challenge we face regarding those who will be joining the workforce, and the 600,000 Chileans who are currently unemployed; those people who get out of bed every morning to look for work and return home empty-handed and frustrated. The participation of women is also very low compared to the OECD and other Latin American countries,” said the President.

In President Piñera's previous administration, the unemployment rate was brought down to near full employment levels. The current commitment is to create 600,000 new jobs.

The President said it was a priority to transform Chile into a developed country, free from poverty, with opportunities for all and said that achieving this would require unity among all sectors.

A series of measures will be promoted to make work and family life more compatible, such as universal child daycare and early education, which are intended to increase equality of opportunities and foster talent.

The President also announced that his administration will promote the Youth Labor Statute bill, to allow young people to reconcile their studies with their jobs more effectively. The government also intends to facilitate access to work for senior citizens, promote teleworking or home-based work, and to modernize the Labor Directorate so it can defend the legitimate rights of workers and people with disabilities faster and more effectively, thereby enhancing job security.

He finally stressed the importance of improving pensions for all Chilean pensioners and for three groups in particular: the most vulnerable, women and the middle class.

The event was also attended by the Labor Minister, Nicolás Monckeberg, the Health Minister, Emilio Santelices, the Social Development Minister, Alfredo Moreno and the Treasury Minister, Felipe Larraín, as well as members of Congress from various parties and representatives from the business world and workers' unions.