Stagnant wages are driving Eastern European workers out of Spain
Real wages in Spain rose by just 887 euros over 30 years, a 2.76% increase, eleven times less than the OECD average. Nearly a third of Romanian and Bulgarian workers are leaving.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Why are Romanian and Bulgarian workers leaving? The real wage data explains the exodus
Nearly a third of the workers who came to Spain from Romania and Bulgaria are now leaving the country. The reason is no mystery: real wages have barely grown in three decades. One figure sums it up: between 1994 and 2024, the average real wage went from 32,157 to 33,044 euros (in 2024 values). A net gain of 887 euros over thirty years, a real increase of just 2.76%.
The worst wage performance in the OECD
That 2.76% is eleven times below the OECD average (30.8%), and far behind France (28.4%) or Germany (24.1%). While these workers' home countries have improved their living standards, Spain offers the same as in the 90s. Or worse, because the tax burden on wages has doubled and housing is unaffordable.
The productivity trap
Wage stagnation is the symptom of an economy that fails to grow in added value. When a Romanian or Bulgarian worker compares what they earn in Spain with what they could earn at home or in Central Europe, the balance tips toward leaving. Official propaganda cannot hide reality: the OECD figures speak for themselves.
Meanwhile, the official line insists we are booming. It is hard not to smile.
Nearly a third of the workers who came to Spain from Romania and Bulgaria are now leaving the country. The reason is no mystery: real wages have barely grown in three decades. One figure sums it up: between 1994 and 2024, the average real wage went from 32,157 to 33,044 euros (in 2024 values). A net gain of 887 euros over thirty years, a real increase of just 2.76%.
The worst wage performance in the OECD
That 2.76% is eleven times below the OECD average (30.8%), and far behind France (28.4%) or Germany (24.1%). While these workers' home countries have improved their living standards, Spain offers the same as in the 90s. Or worse, because the tax burden on wages has doubled and housing is unaffordable.
The productivity trap
Wage stagnation is the symptom of an economy that fails to grow in added value. When a Romanian or Bulgarian worker compares what they earn in Spain with what they could earn at home or in Central Europe, the balance tips toward leaving. Official propaganda cannot hide reality: the OECD figures speak for themselves.
Meanwhile, the official line insists we are booming. It is hard not to smile.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (11 replies).
More summaries
-
Moving to France: minimum wage and housing at 800 euros
France's net minimum wage is around €1,250, not the €2,000 some claim; cheap housing in the Jura, but taxes and debt raise red flags.
-
European countries with the most mosques: France leads with 2,800
France tops the number of mosques in Europe with 2,800 places of worship, while Bulgaria and Czechia reveal striking contrasts.
-
Surgeon Fired from Lippe after Candidacy with AfD
Pediatric surgeon Svetlana Sprina was dismissed from Klinikum Lippe after her candidacy for the AfD became known, without an official reason.
-
PP Mocks Puente’s Pain After Quad Injury, Sparking Political Row
A Spanish PP tweet mocking Transport Minister Óscar Puente’s injury sparks controversy ahead of regional elections, highlighting the fine line between political criticism and spectacle.
-
Nando, the online character who declares himself the sharpest mind on the planet
A character proclaims himself the sharpest mind on the planet, demands a million euros per child from every parent and calls for the collective euthanasia of the human species.
-
Our engineers
An eight-month account from an engineering project describes abandoned wells and day laborers who quit work by midday. Is it laziness or a lack of incentives?