As of October 1 of this year, it will be mandatory for internship periods, whether paid or not, to count in the working life of the interns, who will be able to quote the hours worked. This decision is one of those that make up Royal Decree-Law 2/2023, of March 16, which addresses the pension reform, among which are measures related to the gender gap or the rights of pensioners.
According to Marcelo Dos ReisGeneral Director of the SPEC Group, a leading company in the development of time and access management solutions, “This is an important measure that will benefit a large number of people: in Spain, there are a total of 300,000 people working in internships.”
This is a measure that comes somewhat late, and it is that Social Security promised to regulate this contribution before October 2021. According to Marcelo Dos Reis, “This is a long-awaited measure because, contrary to what one might think, many scholarship holders are over 25 years of age, which allows all those who work as scholarship holders to contribute to social security.” Dos Reis adds that, “Only students with paid internships or with study assistance contribute for common and professional contingencies, but, with this measure, those scholarship holders who do not receive will now also be included”.
Despite the advantages it entails for both companies and interns, the arrival of this new obligation has raised certain doubts among different sectors. The SPEC Group exposes everything you need to know about the new contribution of the interns:
Who benefits?
Both interns with paid and unpaid internship contracts must make mandatory contributions. Until now, only those who had a paid internship contract contributed. However, as of October 1, 2023, those who do not collect will also contribute. On the other hand, it also benefits companies, “Since the contribution is almost entirely paid by the State”clarifies Dos Reis.
What will the quotes be like?
The State will be in charge of covering 97% of the contributions made by trainee students, a figure that will be reduced to 95% in 2024. This means that the impact for companies will be minimal.
Will the interns have to sign up?
Regulating the hours worked is key when there is a contribution behind. Bearing in mind that each day worked by the interns will be considered as 1.61 days of contribution, it is crucial to have a tool that accurately confirms that the agreed hours are being met. According to Marcelo Dos Reis, “there are systems such as netTime one from Grupo SPEC that can measure the tasks of employees and allocate the time dedicated to a specific activity for a specific client, in such a way that the interns, whether or not they are paid, can accurately compute their hours and tasks”.
For how long will these internship periods count?
Two years. This implies that those who carried out an internship at some point during the two years prior to the publication of the decree, may also benefit from this contribution, since it is retroactive.
Can the interns have the right to unemployment once the contract ends?
No. Unemployment, vocational training or the Wage Guarantee Fund (FOGASA) are not included in this contribution, so students who are in an internship will not be entitled to unemployment once the contract is finished.
