A third of first-time job seekers in Spain are over 44

A third of first-time job seekers are over 44

María is 45, has a blank résumé and has been registered as a job seeker for months. She is not a rare case: she represents a third of all Spaniards looking for their first job opportunity. The picture is completed by one more figure: 80% are women.

The statistic that breaks the mold

The available data paint an uncomfortable profile for those running active employment policies. People who have never paid social security contributions, who trained late in life or who have devoted their lives to unpaid care work, and who are now trying to enter a job market that demands experience. The figure for women is no coincidence: it points to accumulated discrimination rather than an individual choice.

Two ways of reading the phenomenon

Some argue the problem is one of attitude: if a person has never worked, they can hardly demand a job at 45. On the other side, critics highlight the lack of reintegration mechanisms and age discrimination in hiring processes. The comparison with how quickly some immigrants find work is used to fuel the individualist thesis, though without conclusive data.

The underlying problem: pensions

This is not just a labour issue. Those who enter the labour market late, in their late forties, will barely be able to contribute for four or five years before retiring, unless they find stable employment very soon. The pension system has no solution planned for this bridge generation, and that is the unsettling figure: with only five years of contributions, the public pension will fall far short of the minimum contributory level.