No jobs left: immigration, AI and the promise broken to young people

The generation that promised a future is leaving its children without jobs

Being 20 years old and looking for work in Spain is now a tightrope walk. The jobs that once served as a way in are mostly held by migrants; automation is already threatening the next rungs up. The result: a generation staring at a career ladder with no steps.

The bridge jobs have disappeared

The diagnosis is clear: what remains are openings for highly qualified technical profiles or precarious jobs that no longer work as a social elevator. Labour market analysts are split between those who see immigration filling the entry-level jobs and those who insist that training is still the only way forward, even though the advice to "get a vocational degree" rings hollow for someone who just wants a first contract.

Robotics gives no warning: first driver replacements in five months

Forecasts point to a concrete timeline: in five months, Madrid will see the first drivers replaced by autonomous systems; within a decade, taxis, buses and lorries could be run by algorithms. This is not science fiction: it is the same logic that emptied warehouses and is now aiming at the last big pool of unskilled jobs.

The age-50 divide

The most uncomfortable part is generational. Those around 50 —the ones in charge— are blamed for handing their children a country without ladders. The complaint goes further: while a 20-year-old considers emigrating, there are 50-year-olds with no savings who still count on a €2,000 pension. The unsettling fact: the labour market does not only divide classes, it divides clocks.