75,000 Spaniards over 44 have never worked

75,000 Spaniards over 44 who have never paid into social security

In Spain there are 75,000 people over 44 who have never worked. The figure, released in recent hours, sounds exaggerated, but it does not seem so when you read the fine print: more than three quarters are women. The number does not describe a band of spongers with double-barrelled surnames; it paints a picture of female labour exclusion that has been building up for decades.

The underlying debate is one of vocabulary: calling someone who never contributed "unemployed" is a conceptual error. An unemployed person has a work history; someone who has never worked is a NEET over 44. These are different categories and demand different responses, even if public opinion tends to mix them up.

Among the examples circulating are a 47-year-old man with five years of contributions and a disability pension, and alleged appointees at public companies collecting 250,000 euros net a year without ever setting foot in the office. These are anecdotes, not statistics, but they set the tone: the conversation jumps from the real figure to the stereotype of the crony.

Against the figure of 75,000, some argue it is small compared with the total inactive population. And others point out that, until 2030, millions of new residents are expected to arrive, which would swell the pool of people with no prior contributions. These are projections, not certainties.

Meanwhile, the urgent task is to break down those 75,000 by sens, age and region. Without that breakdown, the conversation will keep swinging between disbelief and demagoguery. At this rate, the figure will remain a political weapon rather than a diagnosis.