GAD3 has carried out the research for the study “Diagnosis of Youth Employment in Castile and León”, developed and published by the Youth Council of Castile and León with the aim of providing a realistic and up-to-date vision of youth employment in the region.
The study analyzes both the situation of young people between 16 and 29 years old and the hiring needs of the business community, identifying the main challenges that hinder entry into the labor market and the opportunities to improve youth employment policies. For its development, GAD3 applied a Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) methodology aimed at CEOs, CFOs and HR managers of companies in Castile and León, as well as young people between 16 and 29 years old residing in the region, with a total of 1,050 interviews (192 with companies and 858 with young people).
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Training mismatch between supply and demand
The data reveals a mismatch between the educational level of young people and the profiles sought by companies. While 33% of young people report having university studies, only 15% of companies demand that level. On the contrary, profiles with Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) and Vocational Training concentrate greater business demand, especially Intermediate and Advanced Vocational Training.
By sector, services, education and ICT preferentially seek profiles with university studies, while in construction, hospitality and transport there is a greater demand for young people with Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO).
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Positions to fill by sector
Companies in Castile and León report their greatest needs in the areas of industry, production and manual trades (39%), hospitality and tourism (37%) and administration, management and accounting (36%). The needs cover profiles of all educational levels, with greater demand at the ESO, Intermediate Vocational Training and Advanced Vocational Training levels.
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Areas for improvement and barriers to employment access
Companies and young people agree in identifying the lack of work experience as the main obstacle, although from different perspectives: companies point to it as an aspect to improve in candidates (97%), while young people perceive it as their main barrier to access (63%), regardless of their educational level.
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Youth employment programmes and internships
The study also examines the role of youth employment programmes, among which the following are particularly valued: practical training adapted to the labour market, support in job placement, paid scholarships or internships, hiring incentives and individualised career guidance.
Almost 60% of the surveyed companies are willing to offer internships, scholarships or programmes, a proportion that rises to 80% in those with more than 250 employees.
Technical data sheet
Universe: CEOs, CFOs and HR managers of companies in Castile and León and young people between 16 and 29 years old residing in Castile and León.
Scope: Castile and León.
Quotas: Companies: natural fall – Young people: sex and age group
Data collection procedure: Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI).
Sample size: 192 interviews with companies and 858 with young people.
Questionnaire: Developed by the Youth Council of Castile and León.
Sampling error: ±7.1% (n=192) and ±3.4% (n=858), for a confidence level of 95.5% (two sigmas) and under the most unfavourable hypothesis of P=Q=0.5 assuming simple random sampling.
Interview duration: 3 – 4 minutes.
Fieldwork dates: October 21, 2025 to January 8, 2026.
