Why you shouldn’t worry that Andalucía tops Europe’s unemployment chart

Andalucía abounds with endless opportunities for fun holidays and fulfilling property investment

The world is a big place, with billions of people. Good things happen every day, all the time, across the globe. But it is usually the bad news stories that grab our attention. Pain and suffering make good newspaper copy, joy and achievement less so.

But hopefully we all learned long ago not to let every disaster, struggle or war affect our daily lives. Sure, it takes a heart of stone not to be moved by some people’s plights – particularly when heartstring-aimed messages are shared and ‘Liked’ on Facebook with mawkish regularity – but it is simply good sense not to carry the weight of the world with you.

Which is why the recent revelation that Andalucía is the region with the highest levels of unemployment in Europe should not unduly concern you. With 36.3% of people unable to find work in the region, unless you are one of them the economic troubles facing millions of Spaniards should not sully your decision to holiday in Spain or buy property on the Costa del Sol…

Of course, if you had hoped to move to the Costa del Sol to find work then this is one of those rare news stories that does directly affect you, so it may well be wise to secure a job before you move over (actually, it has always been wise to do this, even before the economic downturn). But for all others, a visit to the resorts of the Costa del Sol will actually help improve the current situation. Tourism is the region’s biggest industry, so your visit will help bring much-needed euros to the coffers of many local businesses.

And if you are thinking of buying property in Andalucia? Well, there really couldn’t be a better time. It may seem unsporting to revel in – or take advantage of – others’ misfortune, but by snapping up a home on the Costa del Sol you will, just like holidaymakers, actually be helping secure peoples’ livelihoods – service providers, solicitors, estate agents, local bar and restaurant owners: all will feel the benefit of your decision to buy on the Costa del Sol.

In an ideal world, the youth of Andalucía would be blessed with a wide choice of employment options on their doorstep. But currently, despite Spain’s encouraging economic turnaround, Andalucía’s young are cursed with growing up in the worst corner of Europe in terms of employment. Indeed, official figures from the EU’s statistical office Eurostat show that Spain has 13 of the top 27 regions in Europe with a jobless rate of more than 21.6 per cent.

Statistics like this cannot be dressed up in any other way. It is a worrying trend. But it is probably a dying trend. These figures are the result of more than six years of economic contraction and inflexible labour laws. Both are now changing. Jobs are slowly being created, hope is slowly returning, and confidence is creeping back into many of Andalucía’s hardest-hit industries, such as olive oil and fruit and veg production.

Tourism has always been a strong industry for the region, and will continue to be so throughout 2014 and beyond. And with foreign investment in Spanish property topping €6 billion for the first time since 2004 – according to figures released this month by the Bank of Spain – the Costa del Sol’s property market is looking as rosy as ever.

So do not worry. Actually, do worry – worry about how your hard-earned holiday pocket money will be better spent in the Costa del Sol than anywhere else in Europe. Or how your property down payment will stretch further in Andalucía than nearly all other locations on the continent.

Andalucía’s financial woes are no cause for celebration, but they are an opportunity for those with the means to do so to make a positive difference – and that’s almost all of us.