HE labor market does not run away from aging While the “baby boom” generation, the largest in history, celebrates its birthday, the population of the province is also experiencing great difficulties. And it does this at astonishing speed. greatly complicates generational change in a growing number of economic sectors where it is increasingly difficult to find the necessary workers to replace retirees.
Only in the last ten years, between the first quarter of 2013 and the same period of 2023, Active population of the province over 55 years old passed From 115,000 to 206,900 peopleThat means it’s practically doubled, according to detailed EPA data provided by the Valencia Institute of Statistics. As a percentage, the most experienced employees are already 21.6% of the entire workforce Alicante, which includes both employed and job-seeking unemployed, compared to 12.9% ten years ago.
A situation that puts resorts to the testIn particular, the new generations involved in the company are increasingly fewer In the case of the youngest, aged 16 to 24, the decline is barely noticeable—the figure jumps from 64,100 to 63,100 this decade—because the majority continue to study at that age, so it’s not counted as such. active population (those who work or live in the area actively looking for work).
But the effects of the drop in birth rate are clearly visible in the outgoing cohort. 25 to 34 years old, an age when most of them are already entering the business world. If this group totaled 209,500 ten years ago, today the figure dropped to 168,100. In other words, the younger generation is almost 20% less than the closest to retirement.
Considering the total number of workers under the age of 35, the number of active population that can be considered young is decreasing. from 30.7% of the entire workforce to 24.1%.
“Is there a very clear problem of generational change Throughout the Spanish economy, which we will have to face in the coming years. And the solution is not simple, because all options are one economic or social cost“, says the director of Randstad Research, Valentine’s Day Boat.
The expert points out that the first measure should be taken in this way. to requalify to its enormous volume unemployed This still drives both the Spanish economy and the Alicante economy, “which means many more financial resources it is now a personal effort of those used for this purpose and those affected.” However, Bote sees their coming as inevitable. more workers from abroadwhich will mean a greater effort to integrate them socially.
And finally, trust that another part of the problem will be solved with the solution. robotizationHe points out that in most cases, the new staffing needs that will trigger baby boomer retirements will likely come long before the technology to replace them is ready. In this way, Bote will have a Tendency to extend working life beyond retirement age, something that is now anecdotal in Spain but is starting to become common in countries where aging is even more advanced, such as Japan.
Agriculture
Regarding the sectors, agriculture activity of its workers. Older. Up to 37% of the active population Alicante’s primary sector is already over 55 years old, and when we look at the employed only – if we leave the unemployed – that number rises to 49.6%. “The truth is that most farmers are close to retirement age If you look at foremen and farm managers, most of them are between 55-65 years old. no young Those who want to work in the fields,” assures Asaja Alicante’s president, Jose Vicente Andreu who sees the disappearance of certain FP cycles that existed almost two decades ago as a mistake. So Andreu recalls that most of the workforce currently employed by the industry is already of foreign origin, given the new generation’s rejection of “manual labour”.
in case of industryThe number of people over 55 is a bit more moderate but still representative. 22% of the entire workforce. Of course, in the case of industries that are more labor-intensive, for example shoeproblem The lack of generational relief is more pronounced. “All parents want their children to go to school, to go to college, industry is not seen as a business opportunity“, mint Marian canor the president of the Valencian Footwear Entrepreneurs Association (Avecal). The industry has been warning about the problem for years and is demanding more Double FP cycles to tackle it, including launching a campaign to attract young people to the industry.
The aging of the workforce in the industry is also advancing Serviceswhere the most experienced workers spend From 11.5% to 21.2% While the EPA has not provided a further breakdown over the past decade, a study by the Sepe Occupations Observatory with 2021 data, for example, health sector Or managementwhen not one in ten workers is over 55, they have already turned 60.
In line with this situation, the regional coordinator of the Adecco Foundation in Alicante, Juan Pablo Martinezwarning of a strong insistence “age discriminationamong companies that prevent many workers who lose their jobs at this stage of their life from re-joining the labor market. start to change for the fact that more and more candidates from these ages come to job interviews with purely demographic logic. “There are also companies that are starting to value the qualifications these employees add. maturityexperience, the greatest emotional control wave stability they contribute to the workforce because they are less likely to change jobs than younger people,” says Martínez.