Multiple job holding soars in Spain
Moonlighting in Spain has hit record highs: young people like Ramon Bou juggle part-time jobs to survive the housing crisis and the fragmentation of work.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Moonlighting reaches record highs in Spain
In Sant Cugat del Vallès, Ramon Bou, 24, combines his teacher training studies with two jobs: lunchtime supervisor at a school and basketball coach. In total, 20 hours a week that allow him to save a little, but not to move out on his own. 'I'd barely get by,' he admits. His case is not an isolated one: multiple job holding in Spain has reached record figures, according to recent data from La Vanguardia. The combination of an unprecedented housing crisis and the rising cost of living is pushing more and more workers to stack up part-time contracts.
What lies behind the rise in moonlighting?
Some analyses link this phenomenon to the rise in the minimum wage. They point out that, to avoid higher labour costs, many companies have turned full-time positions into permanent contracts of 6 or 4 hours, or even into discontinuous permanent contracts to cover peaks in demand. The result: workers who need two or more jobs to make ends meet. This fragmentation of work recalls the American model, where holding several jobs is structural rather than the exception. Other arguments point directly to the rental bubble: wages, even combined, do not cover the cost of housing in large cities.
Temporary trend or the new normal?
The open question is whether this proliferation of second and third jobs is a temporary adjustment or the new shape of the Spanish labour market. Meanwhile, cases like Ramon Bou's are multiplying, and the question no analysis fully answers is whether policies of wage increases without price controls are producing exactly the opposite of the intended effect.
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In Sant Cugat del Vallès, Ramon Bou, 24, combines his teacher training studies with two jobs: lunchtime supervisor at a school and basketball coach. In total, 20 hours a week that allow him to save a little, but not to move out on his own. 'I'd barely get by,' he admits. His case is not an isolated one: multiple job holding in Spain has reached record figures, according to recent data from La Vanguardia. The combination of an unprecedented housing crisis and the rising cost of living is pushing more and more workers to stack up part-time contracts.
What lies behind the rise in moonlighting?
Some analyses link this phenomenon to the rise in the minimum wage. They point out that, to avoid higher labour costs, many companies have turned full-time positions into permanent contracts of 6 or 4 hours, or even into discontinuous permanent contracts to cover peaks in demand. The result: workers who need two or more jobs to make ends meet. This fragmentation of work recalls the American model, where holding several jobs is structural rather than the exception. Other arguments point directly to the rental bubble: wages, even combined, do not cover the cost of housing in large cities.
Temporary trend or the new normal?
The open question is whether this proliferation of second and third jobs is a temporary adjustment or the new shape of the Spanish labour market. Meanwhile, cases like Ramon Bou's are multiplying, and the question no analysis fully answers is whether policies of wage increases without price controls are producing exactly the opposite of the intended effect.
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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 (5 replies).
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