The expansion that took place Alicante labor market Last year he had a distinct accent foreign. Or rather, the multitude of accents compatible with an increasingly diverse population, allowing for industries such as. hostel, structure or social services keep growingIn the context of aging and profound social changes that limit the availability of the local workforce.
The latest data from the Active Population Survey leaves no room for doubt. The province gained 57,500 new jobs between the third quarter of last year and the same period in 2023. 44,900 resided in other countries. In other words, foreigners They represent 78% of new employees in the region.
A very high figure, but less surprising if taken into account Foreigners contributed to 85 percent of active population growth Those who are registered during this period, that is, people who want to work and are actively looking for a job.
This is how they worked in the province last summer 132,200 citizens From other countriestheir weight in occupation compared to 738,100 Spaniards 15.2%. The arrival of these new professionals was very important for us. reduce the effects of aging caused by local people The number of workers over the age of 45 is increasing day by day and at ages increasingly closer to retirement, where the 25 to 44 age range becomes even smaller.
Special, without the contribution of foreignersvolume Employees between the ages of 25 and 34 would decrease by more than 20,000 people last year and nearly 18,000 by people ages 35 to 44, according to the EPA.
A fact they know very well structure. “If there were no strangers there would be almost no young people in the jobs“He accepts Javier Gisbert, He is the president of the employers’ association FOPA, an organization that has been denouncing the sector’s difficulties in finding labor for years. “Since the real estate crisis broke out and many people became unemployed, Construction could not attract new generations“Although conditions have improved a lot,” says the businessmen’s spokesman.
Thus, preventive measures significantly reduced the harshness of the work and Salaries range from 22,000 euros According to Gisbert, the approximate amount a worker can earn – 1.5 times the Minimum Interprofessional Wage – ranges from the more than €30,000 a civil servant can earn. But nothing worked to increase local workers’ interest in this event.
Agreement
They think it is important to retrain the unemployed from FOPA and for example Reduce the time it takes to achieve accreditation The two-year workers now required to achieve an intermediate FP cycle attend courses combining six theoretical months and another six months of on-site training. However, the only way out they see in the short term is for more foreigners to come.
In fact FOPA just signed an agreement Contract with a specialist company To start Hiring South American workers at home and alleviate this situation.
Total number of years passed The number of foreigners working in Alicante construction sites increased from 20,200 to 24,800, but this is certainly not the only activity in which this occurs. In fact, the increase is general. Like this agriculture employs 5,500 foreign nationals, compared to 2,400 a year ago; inside industry This figure has doubled, with 11,900 employees in the third quarter of 2023, compared to 5,100 employees in the same period last year; And in Services The increase was quite large: from 59,500 to 90,000.
“For us Participation of foreign workers is important In recent years. The president of the Alicante Provincial Hotel Entrepreneurs Association (Apeha) says: Maria del Mar Valeraparticularly appreciative trends of these foreign professionals He regrets that the sector is not seen as a professional career development alternative among the new generations.
Like his counterpart in the construction industry, he argues that the wages they offer are competitive and that business owners are increasingly trying to offer better conditions in terms of working hours or pay.
Besides the above, citizens of other countries already represent a key part of the workforce in activities such as trade or social and healthcare services, among others.
More open to abuse and with a glass ceiling
José María Ruiz Olmos, Minister of Labor of the CC OO in L’Alacantí-les Marines, underlines the important contribution of migrant workers to the economy and regrets that they continue to be a group more vulnerable to insecurity and possible abuses. “In many cases, because of the need to maintain leave or because of their economic situation, it is more difficult for them to stand up and say no to employers who want to take advantage of the benefits,” the union official charges. In this sense, EPA data show that although the number of permanent aliens increased greatly from 40,200 to 74,300, the number of those on temporary contracts also increased from 16,800 to 33,400. the population was reduced. In addition, Ruiz Olmos points out the existence of “glass ceilings”, as in the case of women, which act as a brake for professionals from other countries when it comes to promotion and occupying positions that require greater responsibility.