Pactem Nord consortium holds youth jobs and housing debate in Puçol
The Pactem Nord consortium organised a conference at the Espai Jove (youth centre) in Puçol to examine youth unemployment, precarious work, and the housing challenges facing young people in the northern metropolitan area of Valencia.
Titled «Young people: labour market and life paths», the conference was hosted by the Pactem Nord Consortium to mark its 25th anniversary. The event drew on data from the consortium's Employment Observatory to put youth employment and housing issues firmly on the local agenda.
The timing reflects a serious regional challenge: youth unemployment (ages 15–24) in the Valencian Community stood at 29.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025, well above Spain's national rate of 23.01%. Puçol, a town of 21,659 inhabitants bordering Sagunto to the north, was chosen as the venue because it sits at the natural crossroads between the l'Horta Nord and Camp de Morvedre areas.
Speakers included youth officers from the CCOO and UGT trade unions, local technicians, and Jorge Gil Martínez, a professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), who focused on housing access in metropolitan zones. Esther Martínez Ferrando of the Consell Valencià de la Joventut (Valencian Youth Council) also addressed the gathering.
According to elperiodicodeaqui.com, participants agreed that youth independence requires coordinated action on both decent jobs and affordable housing policy.