Housing costs drive civil servants out of Málaga

High housing costs push civil servants out of Málaga

A drawing exam candidate who has just secured a position in Málaga has already decided to leave. It's not the work that scares him, but the price of real estate. His case, reported by Málaga Hoy, illustrates a growing problem: public employees, with stable jobs but modest salaries, can't find a place in a city where bricks cost an arm and a leg.

Public salary doesn't cover rent

In economic discussions, one figure keeps coming up: only two A1-grade civil servants can live comfortably in Málaga if they don't own property. The rest are forced to share flats, pay rents that devour half their paycheck, or endure an exhausting search on the outskirts. The job stability that a permanent position provides, they say, no longer compensates for the financial and logistical strain.

From teachers' housing to public housing

The debate is not new. In the 1940s and 1950s, the state built housing for teachers and also low-cost public housing developments for civil servants. Those "teachers' houses" are once again a reference when someone proposes affordable housing for public employees. Some believe it's the only way out; others respond that the problem won't be solved with corporate privileges.

The startling fact: civil servants are not rich, even if some imagine they are. And yet, with housing through the roof, not even job security balances the books. Málaga, meanwhile, watches those who have just passed their exams leave. If prices don't change, the next candidate might not even show up.