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Many of the indignados who protested against Spain's economic woes are packing their bags and seeking work abroad
Bruno Suárez, 35, wasn't planning to leave Spain, but after three years as a consultant for a telecommunications multinational in Madrid he thought it was time for a change. He knew there were few openings in computer systems in crisis-ridden Spain and that working conditions and wages were increasingly tough, but he was prepared to accept a 20% drop in pay. "With 10 years' experience, I realised I could only hope for €24,000 to €30,000 a year [$35,000 to $50,000], which was a big step backwards. When I left university in 2000 I was already getting €24,000," Suárez says.
So he looked farther afield to London. After four interviews he was hired by a telecommunications firm in August 2010. "They made what seemed like a reasonable offer – £45,000 ($73,000) a year. I can live on that, save a bit, travel and maybe buy a house," Suarez says.
More and more Spaniards are making similar choices. After years of sustained growth, fuelled by a property boom, and the influx of 4 million immigrants sure of finding a job, Spain has a serious hangover and foreign parts suddenly look much more attractive. "Brazil is booming. It looks fabulously optimistic and great things seem possible," says Paco Conde, 37. He is about to leave his birthplace in Madrid for the first time. Currently the creative director of one of Madrid's top advertising agencies, he is moving to Rio de Janeiro on 15 January next year. A new job awaits him there, with "much better pay", greater responsibility and the prospect of larger campaigns. "I knew I couldn't hope for anything better in Spain," he says. "With the crisis clients are starting to cut back, which limits our scope for eye-catching international projects."
Several of Conde's friends have left in recent months, with "three people at work going in just a fortnight". His brother moved to London three years ago. With no qualifications, he couldn't face the prospect of endless casual jobs and a minimum wage of €640 ($920) a month. Now, as a waiter in a gourmet restaurant in London, he keeps telling his brother it's the best move he ever made. When someone mentioned an opening in Brazil, Conde and his partner decided to take the plunge. He does not speak Portuguese, but Spanish or English will do the job. He has no friends in Rio, but he hopes to make new ones, particularly as plenty of other Spaniards have chosen the same destination. The Spanish foreign ministry is currently handling about 40 applications a day for work or study visas in Brazil.
Others have set their sights on Germany. In January, Der Spiegel published an article on German plans to look for highly qualified recruits in southern Europe, prompting hundreds of young people to rush to the embassy in Madrid. Alfonso Calderón, an architect, was already living in Berlin. "I did an Erasmus year in Hamburg, which I enjoyed, but thought I'd leave it at that," he recalls. Now aged 32, he graduated in 2006 and had no difficulty finding work in Madrid. But in 2008 the construction boom ground to a halt. "In 2010, I went seven months without work, so I decided to leave," he adds. He has been in Berlin for nine months now. "Contrary to what the media say, it's not that easy to find work, particularly for architects. I must have sent out about 120 CVs and have only had three interviews." But in October he started an internship. "I have to start from scratch," he says, "but I'd rather be in Germany than Spain where the outlook is grim."
Suárez, meanwhile, has been in London for the past year. He has been promoted to the position of lead producer, heads a team of three, and has negotiated his first pay rise. "If I'd stayed in Spain, I expect I'd be very depressed," he says. People are badly paid, do appalling jobs they won't leave for fear of ending up on the dole. Everyone talks about the crisis and nothing else – customers who don't pay, families gone broke and banks, in the midst of this mess, still making a profit."
He joined about 400 London-based indignados for a demonstration outside the Spanish embassy in May. "The most characteristic thing about Spain was once its love of fiesta," Suarez says. "Now it's the indignados. We almost joined the G8 countries, now one in five people is unemployed. How come you can earn a decent living in France, Germany or the UK whereas in Spain young super-qualified graduates have to scrape by on €400 ($570) a month?"
He sees no prospect of going home. "We certainly won't go back to Spain, at least not for 10 or 15 years. It'll take quite a while to sort out 21% unemployment."
Shrinking population
Spain's population grew by 700,000 a year between 2002 and 2007. With the financial crisis, net inward migration fell to 400,000 in 2008, plummeting to 47,000 in 2009 and 62,000 in 2010.
This year it went into the red, with Spain losing 70,000 residents in the first six months. Even with a surplus of 43,000 births, the country's population dropped by 27,000 between January and June.
"The negative migration balance is mainly due to immigrants returning home," says Julio Perez, a population specialist at Spain's Scientific Research Council (CSIC). "What surprises me is that the figure isn't higher in view of Spain's 21% rate of unemployment," he adds.
Of the 70,000 residents lost so far this year, 63,000 were foreigners, most of whom were working in the building trade.
This article originally appeared in Le Monde
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