Aznar: Immigration Critics Should Take Their Jobs

Aznar: Anyone Who Wants to Expel Immigrants Should Volunteer to Do Their Jobs

[DATO] Spain has gained 10 million inhabitants in the last seven years, mostly due to immigration. Yet sectors like agriculture, hospitality, and construction are struggling with unfilled vacancies. The paradox was highlighted by José María Aznar: those demanding mass expulsions should be willing to pick fruit, wash dishes, or build walls. The former prime minister made the proposal with the irony of someone who knows volunteering won't happen.

The Legacy of Mass Regularizations

Aznar knows the mechanism well. During his eight years in government (1996-2004), he pushed the first major regularization of undocumented immigrants: over 500,000 people obtained permits with minimal requirements – a bus ticket was enough to prove roots. That open door laid the foundation for the current model. Twenty years later, the flow hasn't stopped. Between 2018 and 2025, the foreign population grew by nearly 800,000 people annually, according to data used in the debate. The result: a labor market that has become dependent on foreign labor for the lowest-paid jobs.

Wage Dumping or Lack of Vocation

The Employers' Argument

A line of analysis holds that without immigrants, the Spanish economy would collapse. Seasonal agriculture, cleaning, elderly care, and hospitality rely mostly on foreigners because Spaniards don't apply. Wages of 1,300 euros for ten-hour days in construction or precarious conditions in fruit picking deter locals, who prefer to wait for a better opportunity or live on benefits. For this view, immigration is not a problem but a solution to a structural labor supply deficit.

The Race to the Bottom Thesis

The opposite stance points out that the real problem is not a lack of workers but the degradation of conditions. Before the massive arrival of immigrants, Spaniards filled those jobs and a bricklayer's or waiter's salary could buy a home. The continuous entry of labor willing to accept lower pay has allowed employers to keep wages low and precariousness high. "There are millions of unemployed who would do those jobs if they paid what they should," summarizes one analysis. In this scheme, immigration doesn't fill vacancies but causes displacement: Spaniards withdraw from segments that are no longer profitable for them.

Figures That Don't Add Up

The data available in the debate show a persistent contradiction. Spain's unemployment rate is around 12%, well above the European average, but some sectors report a lack of candidates. While unions demand wage increases and reasonable hours, employers pressure to keep costs low with the immigration valve. Aznar's proposal – that expulsion advocates take those jobs – underscores the hypocrisy of a debate where no one wants to face the consequences of their positions.

The full calculation, with a breakdown of income, contributions, and expectations, is in the original source. What is clear is that immigration has become the wildcard of the Spanish labor market: it allows avoiding reform of working conditions, but at the cost of a dependency that no one knows how to manage.

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Article based on material from The Objective and other sources cited in public discussion. The positions gathered here are anonymous currents of analysis; they do not represent the opinion of this outlet.

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