# Spain's Lost Generation



## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

A sobering article published today. Those of us who live here know it to be true. 

"More than 40 per cent of Spaniards aged between 16 and 25 are without jobs, while others struggle on temporary contracts with low salaries — or move abroad to find better work."

"Many of those who choose to remain often have to survive on unstable temporary contracts, which guarantee employment only for weeks or sometimes just days. Recent data from Spain’s Ministry of Labour revealed that the number of workers who sign more than ten employment contracts every year increased from 150,000 in 2012 to 270,000 in 2016 — a statistic which also shows where lots of the ruling conservative Popular Party’s much-vaunted 500,000 new jobs a year are coming from."

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/07/spains-lost-generation/#


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Madliz said:


> A sobering article published today. Those of us who live here know it to be true.
> 
> "More than 40 per cent of Spaniards aged between 16 and 25 are without jobs, while others struggle on temporary contracts with low salaries — or move abroad to find better work."
> 
> ...


Absolutely.
This is life for the young in Spain today with little sign of change.
I have to say there are plenty of problems for the over 50's as well. I go into many different company offices through my own work during a year and see few over 50's. Where are they all??
Go into any supermarket in the UK and the tills are attended by a whole age range from 16 - 60. Not in Spain...


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

It's tragic, but there are some strangely contradictory situations around. I'm trying to find a Spanish building firm to reform the kitchen and bathrooms in the apartment we've just bought. The first one I contacted, the other day, couldn't start before November at the earliest, because they have more work than they can cope with.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> It's tragic, but there are some strangely contradictory situations around. I'm trying to find a Spanish building firm to reform the kitchen and bathrooms in the apartment we've just bought. The first one I contacted, the other day, couldn't start before November at the earliest, because they have more work than they can cope with.


There is a lot of building work going on here too, doing up old houses under the VPO scheme. I think the Junta de Andalucia has just released a tranche of money for this - the programme has been dormant for a few years. It's a great scheme because not only does it improve the quality of housing for the least well-off, it provides work for local builders and improves the appearance of the town as well.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> There is a lot of building work going on here too, doing up old houses under the VPO scheme. I think the Junta de Andalucia has just released a tranche of money for this - the programme has been dormant for a few years. It's a great scheme because not only does it improve the quality of housing for the least well-off, it provides work for local builders and improves the appearance of the town as well.


What's the VPO scheme.?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Megsmum said:


> What's the VPO scheme.?


https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivienda_de_protección_oficial


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Megsmum said:


> What's the VPO scheme.?


It seems to be a form of assured tenancy for people with limited means:

Junta de Andalucía - Vivienda protegida


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

I thought that VPO homes had to be bought? Unless different Ayuntamientos have different rules. My neighbours Son and family got one through Mijas council. There were app. 20 homes available and they had a draw for them as 500 applied. They then have to get a mortgage. There are some clauses such as not being able to sell them or only being able to sell them to those that qualify for VPO. Can't remember exactly. Perhaps some are rent to buy.
I wonder why the Ayuntamientos don't buy some of these empty blocks from bankrupt developers, sure they would get a good price.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Isobella said:


> I thought that VPO homes had to be bought? Unless different Ayuntamientos have different rules. My neighbours Son and family got one through Mijas council. There were app. 20 homes available and they had a draw for them as 500 applied. They then have to get a mortgage. There are some clauses such as not being able to sell them or only being able to sell them to those that qualify for VPO. Can't remember exactly. Perhaps some are rent to buy.
> *I wonder why the Ayuntamientos don't buy some of these empty blocks from bankrupt developers, sure they would get a good price.*


Maybe they don't have the spare funds, or, they are PP councils that abhor anything in the way of public service - a bit like the UK


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Just did a search in English and this came up.

https://www.spanishpropertyinsight....using-market-undermined-house-price-collapse/


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Isobella said:


> I thought that VPO homes had to be bought? Unless different Ayuntamientos have different rules. My neighbours Son and family got one through Mijas council. There were app. 20 homes available and they had a draw for them as 500 applied. They then have to get a mortgage. There are some clauses such as not being able to sell them or only being able to sell them to those that qualify for VPO. Can't remember exactly. Perhaps some are rent to buy.
> I wonder why the Ayuntamientos don't buy some of these empty blocks from bankrupt developers, sure they would get a good price.


Our Ayuntamiento has, from time to time, funded schemes whereby houses in a bad state of repair were fully renovated for the families to move back into. I'm not sure if it is totally funded by grants or whether the families have to pay it back by way of a loan. I don't think it is under the VPO scheme, which is, as you say, normally affordable homes to buy, but is normally called a programa de rehabilitación or something similar.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Isobella said:


> I thought that VPO homes had to be bought? Unless different Ayuntamientos have different rules. My neighbours Son and family got one through Mijas council. There were app. 20 homes available and they had a draw for them as 500 applied. They then have to get a mortgage. There are some clauses such as not being able to sell them or only being able to sell them to those that qualify for VPO. Can't remember exactly. Perhaps some are rent to buy.
> I wonder why the Ayuntamientos don't buy some of these empty blocks from bankrupt developers, sure they would get a good price.


VPOs can be for sale, rent, or rent-to-buy.

Under the restoration scheme I described earlier, elderly or low-income tenants or owner-occupiers are rehoused temporarily while the properties are restored. It's also happening in Cadiz old town, where much of the housing stock is in bad repair.


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