49.7% of the Spanish active population, that is The total amount of affordable labor (including busy and unemployed) exceeded 45 years, the equator of his working life, in the first quarter of the year. This percentage Record of the historical seriesWhich begins in 2002, when the speed was 20 points lower. And, with this, this indicates a serious problem for creating jobs, reducing unemployment and the ability of our companies to look for workers. Trap “Age” in which the economy has fallen in recent decades puts the future of employment in our countryField
According to the EPA in the first quarter, the percentage of elderly reached 50.7%, and the unemployed -41.5%, in the first case, it is also the highest report, when the liba reached, while in the second trend, was stabilized over the past two years. Evolution, which illustrates the paradox, which includes employment managementAs the possibility of employment in a productive model Designed for a completely different demography.
Companies find the problem of “facilitating” their templates. Traditionally, this process was carried out through dismissal, employment rules, or “low -non -non -nonsense” programs. Strategy promoted during Industrial reconstruction of large public companies in the 90sIt has become a practice, also consolidated in the private sector, especially in the field of technology and banking. To such an extent that in 2010 the then Minister of Socialist Work Celestino KorbachOr he openly talked about the “culture of preliminary junction.”
This model of choice of veterans departure as the first option remained the norm during the financial crisis, despite the fact that PSOE and PP leaders came to increase fines to companies that will fire their elderly people. Although its effect was limited, since it affects only large companies that Make these adjustments that have advantagesThe field but the rest of the unemployed of this age was in this situation with a much less profitable starting point.
Thus, at the moment when the great recession touched the background, and employment began to recover, unemployment between those who have done this at lower speed than the others, which explains that she gained weight, exceeding one of the youngest groups. Although his increase, it seems, fought, he continues to assume one of the main ballasts to reduce unemployment. But this has never been transferred to the rejuvenation of templates. Against.
Age trap
Numerous factors explain this contradiction, but they can summarize that companies do not hire the elderly, but they do not find young people to occupy their positions. This is what all sectors influence, although its influence was wider in industry, construction and auxiliary services, as well as in the administrations, despite the hyperinflation of public proposals for employment in recent years.
The aging of labor is not unknown to the governments of Spain. His recipe has always been to increase the arrival of foreign workers, although they were stopped by a great recession. In recent years, the boom has been resumed, but Although immigrants create most of the employmentThe average age of labor does not decrease.
The explanation is that demography also affects foreign ones. The average age of foreigners is also growing, even higher in speed than that of citizens. In addition to demography, political, economic and educational changes in the countries of origin make the professional profile of the immigrant and do not correspond to the sectors that traditionally depended on them – especially hospitality, construction and agriculture.
Although the percentage of unemployed under the age of 45 is less than that, with 41.5%, this would be a mistake to minimize the problem. First of all, when another link in terms of unemployment, the unemployed register, which SPE publishes its weight up to 57.4%.
The discrepancy is that EPA collects more data from young unemployed, who have fewer incentives for registration at employment offices to obtain a smaller number of access to benefit. This leads to the idea that the unemployment of the elderly allowance is “submitted” by benefits and subsidies And his beneficiaries do not have real will to find a jobThe field although they exist with a subsidy of 480 euros.
Victims of “extreme” unemployment
The data that leaves a direct survey of employees include a fact that can shed some light on this contradiction. 23% of the unemployed who had to go to the EPA in the first quarter have been looking for work for more than two years. They add 655 800, the slightest figure since 2010, which notes that the restoration of the labor market has led to very long -term unemployment. But this evolution has a dark point: 63.1% of these “extreme” unemployed for more than 45 years. Both percent note the maximum of the historical series.
Long -term unemployment is a variable that best reflects the effectiveness of an active employment policy. It is believed that a person who was unemployed for less than a year can find him easier with his own means, but as this limit exceeds more needs for help. In particular, public employment services. In this sense, that the percentage of very long -term elderly people is growing, indicates that something fails in the development of actions. But the reason can be much deeper in the economyField
EPA analysis throws another amazing fact. 35.7% of 45 or more years of unemployed fall in a group of very long duration compared to the average total average 23% and 20.1% of those below this age. The percentage that lived throughout the historical seriesField but during all this time the distance with the speed registered by the youngest remainsField
That is, the elder always had more opportunities to get into long -term unemployment than any other employee, regardless of how evolution fluctuates in accordance with the economic cycle. The fact that in this age lane more actively did not correct this imbalance, that is, This did not improve its capabilities to get out of unemployment.
