Migrant regularization drives surge in foreign employment in Spain
For the first time since 2012, foreign job growth in Spain has outpaced employment growth among Spaniards. The regularization of migrants has been key.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Foreign employment overtakes Spanish employment for the first time
The Spanish economy moves to the rhythm of tourism, and that distorts the monthly Social Security registration figures. But the annual totals clear up any doubts: over the past year, job creation among the foreign population has, for the first time since 2012, outpaced that recorded among Spaniards. The trigger was not a boom in demand, but the migrant regularization drive pushed forward by the Spanish government, which has moved thousands of workers who were already part of the economy into the official statistics.
The figure has its edges. Those who see the glass half full argue that it broadens the base of Social Security contributors and plugs a hole in the system in a country where the working-age population is shrinking. The opposite reading is less flattering: some argue that the government is cosmetically touching up the labor market with paperwork instead of creating quality jobs for nationals, and there are those who directly question the reliability of figures they consider distorted by political interests.
What remains up in the air is whether this reversal of the trend is a statistical mirage linked to the regularization or a reflection of a labor market increasingly dependent on foreign labor. So far, the debate has not reached a consensus.
The Spanish economy moves to the rhythm of tourism, and that distorts the monthly Social Security registration figures. But the annual totals clear up any doubts: over the past year, job creation among the foreign population has, for the first time since 2012, outpaced that recorded among Spaniards. The trigger was not a boom in demand, but the migrant regularization drive pushed forward by the Spanish government, which has moved thousands of workers who were already part of the economy into the official statistics.
The figure has its edges. Those who see the glass half full argue that it broadens the base of Social Security contributors and plugs a hole in the system in a country where the working-age population is shrinking. The opposite reading is less flattering: some argue that the government is cosmetically touching up the labor market with paperwork instead of creating quality jobs for nationals, and there are those who directly question the reliability of figures they consider distorted by political interests.
What remains up in the air is whether this reversal of the trend is a statistical mirage linked to the regularization or a reflection of a labor market increasingly dependent on foreign labor. So far, the debate has not reached a consensus.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (12 replies).
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