Six out of ten young Spaniards would consider overseas job

Many younger Spaniards are favourable to the idea of working abroad, study finds

The majority of Spaniards aged 18 to 30 have revealed that they would seriously consider moving overseas for work, according to a new study by the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications…

With youth unemployment in Spain still among the highest in the EU, the employment prospects of many young Spaniards – who have often received some of the best education on the continent – may be better served elsewhere, many believe.

Six out of ten people polled said that they are currently considering leaving Spain for work, although the vast majority of that group also revealed that they have never actually spent a ‘significant amount of time’ away from Spain.

The poll also revealed that 14 per cent of those surveyed said they are definitely planning to move abroad for work, with a further 41 per cent generally in favour of the idea but not necessarily planning on doing so.

The survey showed that Spanish youngsters have some of the most strident wanderlust in Europe, with their counterparts in other European countries less in favour of moving overseas for work. Only 21 per cent of Germans in the same age group, for example, are in favour of searching for a job abroad, while around 30 per cent of British youngsters would consider it.

This trend is in stark contrast with the older generation, where Spain is actually the most popular location for Brits and Germans hoping to move overseas.

But the recent recession has evidently shaken Spanish youth’s confidence in future employment opportunities. According to the survey, only 40 per cent of young Spaniards believe that they will find work in their desired employment field, compared to 66 per cent of Germans and 59 per cent of Brits.

Additionally, only 29 per cent of Spaniards believe that they will have a better life than their parents (Italians are even more pessimistic, with only 23 per cent confident that their future standard of living will be an improvement).

However, despite the perceived future gloom for Spain’s frustrated youngsters, the Bank of Spain has revealed this week that the country’s economy is likely to carry on its impressive expansion throughout the fourth quarter and into next year.

According to the bank, output grew 0.5 per cent quarter-on-quarter between July and September, with more predicted for the last few weeks of the year.

“The expansion of activity appears to be stretching into the final months of this year,” said the Spanish central bank this week. Wider forecasts estimate that the Spanish economy will end 2014 having grown by 1.3 per cent – which is greater than the economies of France, Italy, Austria, Germany and Portugal.