Spain's
lost generation: - More than half of young Spaniards are out of
work, according to fresh statistics, signalling a lost generation
that has been hit hardest by Spain's economic woes, as the total
number of unemployed surged above five million.
Young
Spaniards complain that even a university degree leaves no guarantee
of finding work.
The number of 16-24 year old Spaniards out of work rose to 51.4
per cent in December, more than double the European Union average,
according to a report by Spain's National Statistics Institute.
The national unemployment rate hit 22.85 per cent, the highest rate
in nearly 17 years and the current highest in the industrialised
world.
Spain's young have been dubbed 'generacion cero' or 'the ni-nis'
– neither in work nor full time education- and for many their
only hope of seeking a better future is moving abroad, sparking
fears of a brain drain.
"This is the least hopeful and best educated generation in
Spain," said Ignacio Escolar, author of the country's most
popular political blog and former editor of the newspaper Publico.
"And it's like a national defeat that they have to travel abroad
to find work."
When the crisis began in 2008, Spain's under-25 unemployment rate
was below 18 per cent but it has nearly tripled within four years
as Spain's housing boom collapsed and it sank into recession.
Young Spaniards are now living in the family home longer than ever
before, pushing the average age of independence from their parents
to well into their thirties.
"These people are delaying their advance into adulthood. It's
a very scary time for young people," said Sara Elder an economist
with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which published
a report into youth unemployment around the world.
"They find the path that worked for their parents is not working
for them."
The ILO report, published last October, warned that the consequences
of mass youth unemployment could be dire.
"Increased crime rates in some countries, increased drug use,
moving back home with the parents, depression – all of these
are common consequences for a generation of youth that, at best,
has become disheartened about the future, and, at worst, has become
angry and violent," it said.
Spain already has one of the highest rates of cannabis and cocaine
usage among its young in western Europe.
The botellon, the social activity for younger people of drinking
alcohol in public areas such as the streets, has also increased
in popularity leading to police clampdowns.
Young Spaniards led the protests throughout last summer, setting
up camps in plazas across Spain in the movement that became known
as "Los Indignados" – the Indignant ones.
They complain that even a university degree leaves no guarantee
of finding work.
"When you go to university, you develop very high expectations,
and then you leave and get a reality check," says Tomás
Muñoz, a 25-year old graduate of Alicante University and
a spokesman for the Juventud Sin Futuro (Youth without a future)
platform.
Analysts warn that youth joblessness could have a devastating effect
on a nation that needs a dynamic young workforce to help economic
recovery and lead Spain out of recession.
"It's a problem not just for them, but for all of us,"
believes economics professor Gayle Allard from the Instituto de
Empresa in Madrid.
"This is the generation that will be paying for the welfare
state and pensions in the future. If they can't get started with
relatively secure, well-paying jobs, start to put away some savings,
start to accumulate assets, start paying into the welfare system,
where does that leave the rest of us?"
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