MADRID A Venezuelan accent can be heard from inside the cafe located in the Retiro Park.
One of the waiters says that he came to Spain two years ago. Work was found immediately.
Right now, getting a job is easy for many immigrants. In Spain, the employment rate of immigrants has increased significantly in the last couple of years.
– At the moment, 75 percent of new jobs go to immigrants, says the manager of the economic research institute Funcas, who is sitting in the cafe Raymond Torres.
Spain’s economy will grow by almost three percent this year, i.e. the fastest pace in the EU.
The unemployment rate is still higher than the EU average, around 12 percent. At the same time, however, it is the lowest in more than 15 years.
The service sector employs the most
Most of the new jobs will be created in the service sector linked to tourism, such as restaurants, bars and cafes.
A significant part of those working in them comes from Latin America. The most people come from Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Cuba and Peru.
Although more and more immigrants are employed in jobs that require higher education, the majority are still employed in low-wage sectors.
According to economist Torres, even in Spain, immigrants do jobs that are not suitable for locals. Spain has the second largest number of immigrants in the EU, right after Germany.
– For Spain, immigration is a positive thing by all economic indicators, says Torres.
The economy grew rapidly after the pandemic
During the pandemic years, Spain’s economy plunged the most in Europe.
The climb out of the pit has been fast. Spain received the second most EU corona stimulus money after Italy. According to Torres, the growth of exports, industry and tourism is more important than them.
Spain has also benefited from the fact that it was less dependent on Russian gas than many other EU countries. Therefore, its energy costs did not rise as much as in other European countries.
According to Torres, half of Spain’s economic growth is explained by immigration.
– Without the contribution of immigrants, for example, tourism could not have grown to its current proportions.
It’s easy to find work
In the Puerta del Angel district of Madrid, the Alma Latina association, which helps immigrants from Latin America, operates.
– We now have the most members in twenty years, says the chairman of the association Victoria Eugenia Zapata.
The association also includes a Venezuelan Daniela Bastidas. He arrived in Madrid two years ago without documents and received a residence and work permit in less than a year.
– I am grateful that I got the permits quickly because of the situation in my home country, says Bastidas.
Many of the citizens of Venezuela, which has turned into a dictatorship, get residence and work permits in Spain faster than those from, for example, Africa.
Bastidas works in Madrid as a nurse for the elderly and a waiter and teaches yoga.
– The job is not equivalent to my education, but I am grateful for it, says Bastidas, who worked as an auditor and accountant in his home country.
Now he is waiting for his degree to be approved in Spain.
“The hourly wage remains at a few euros, and there is hardly any free time”
Although it is easy to find work, according to Victoria Eugenia Zapata, who helps migrants, working conditions are often worse for immigrants than for locals.
Especially those who have recently entered the country and are undocumented are vulnerable to exploitation.
Zapata talks about modern slavery.
– Elderly carers and fruit pickers are in a very weak position, for example. The hourly wage remains at a few euros, and there is almost no free time.
Both sectors are currently largely the responsibility of migrants.
Daniela Bastidas says that she earned just under a thousand euros a month at the nursing home.
– The quality of life is not bad if the working days are long, but the salary is not enough to live on.
As a waiter, Bastidas’ hourly wage is five euros.
– Some of my friends get an even smaller hourly wage of three euros.
Low wages and expensive apartments weaken the attraction
Spain’s birth rate is one of the lowest in Europe, but the population is growing as a result of immigration.
In the last five years, more than one million immigrants have come to Spain, including those with dual Spanish citizenship.
However, more people are needed.
A recent report by the country’s central bank estimatesthat the foreign population should triple from current forecasts by 2053 in order to maintain the ratio of working people to pensioners.
According to researcher Raymond Torres, it is precisely the low wages and the high rent level in big cities that block the attraction of the workforce.
– Those are the biggest problems that also cause a brain drain from Spain to countries with a higher income level. The acceptance of foreign diplomas should also be accelerated.
Currently the Spanish Parliament discusses a citizens’ initiative that aims to give many undocumented migrants legal status.
However, Torres also sees the growth of anti-immigration as a threat. In Spain, immigration has been treated more favorably than in many Western European countries, but attitudes have hardened.
The Spanish named immigrants as the biggest concern in their home country in a recent survey by Statistics Finland. As recently as July, immigration was in fourth place.
Racism targets Africans in particular. A record number of them have come this year, especially to the Canary Islands.
For those coming from Latin America, Spain is an easier destination because of the language and culture.
Venezuelan Daniela Bastidas says she feels welcome. He believes that shredding is only an intermediate step.
– People are warm, and I have not encountered racism.