The government insists that migrants are a necessity and not a problem. In Spain, 21 million people are currently working, of which almost three million are migrants. Are they many or few? The Bank of Spain estimates that to maintain the current pension system, in 2050, more than 20 million migrants work in Spain.
In other words, we would need 17 million more migrants registered with social security. And this is curious, because perceptions and prejudices come into play in the debate on migration. According to a study by the ISEAK Research Center, there are fewer migrants of those who believe, they work more that we imagine it and they receive much less help than those that the extreme right assures with hoaxes.
Look, on one hand, at what the Spanish believe, and on the other hand, at the reality. What percentage of Spanish citizens consider themselves foreigners? On average, we answer 28%, while the reality is that Migrants in our country represent only 16%. And how many of them are unemployed? It is generally believed that it is close to half, while the real figure is again much lower. And as for the hoax that the extreme right is so accustomed to resorting to.
Spaniards believe that half of foreigners receive public assistance when in reality only one in ten receives them. And for those who believe that the majority of migrants come from Africa, another misperception, the majority come from Latin America and the European Union.
Migrants responsible for a percentage of growth in Spain
With all these figures, it is clear that migration will play a fundamental role in the coming decades in our country. For several reasons: pensions, birth rates or skilled labor market, among others. We can debate how to deal with the migrant issue, but there are objective figures that explain why Spain needs them.
First of all: They provide a necessary and essential workforce in certain sectors.s. It is necessary because there is no work, to the point that They already represent 20% of the workforce. Basically, job creation is due to the flow of immigrants. According to the INE, everything that the labor force increased in 2023 is due to migration.
Of all the new people employed or willing to work, 70% are migrantsAnother 30% have dual nationality. And the number of new Spanish workers has decreased in the last year. If this foreign workforce had not entered, we would not have reached the record of 21 million people affiliated to Social Security. And probably The Spanish economy would have progressed less.
Another very significant fact: In our country, one in three new qualified workers is a foreigner.. In addition, the workforce collaborates in maintaining the pension system that requires more active workers. In addition, in the face of an aging population like the Spanish population, migration brings birth rates and future workers in the face of a growing elderly population. Beyond the noise of populism, the numbers are more eloquent.
