# Unemployment Statistics Province of Malaga as at 30 November 2014



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

1965,672 people are officially registered as unemployed in our province. 29534 people collect unemployment benefit. 9055 people claim 'Agricultural Allowance - they do not count as officially unemployed.
A staggering 75914 people , 39% of the total, lack any financial support whatsoever. The majority will not be eligible for the Government's new benefit of 426 euros a month.
The majority of the unemployed come from jobs with low qualifications in the service sectors and construction.
This is one province in Andalucia, a province containing the 'hotspot' of Marbella and of course Malaga City.

I don't have figures for other provinces or other regions but I doubt they are that much better.

So when a job-seeking prospective immigrant says they somehow stand out from the almost 200000 unemployed in one province alone because they are willing to work hard (the 200000 aren't?) or have 'new angles' (the 200000 haven't thought up new ways of finding employment, especially the 76000 with NO income?), s/he should seriously ponder on these figures before buying a ticket, especially if in the service or construction trades which it seems most are.

I'm no mathematician so I can't work out the odds of anyone finding legal permanent work but the chances must be very slim indeed. Of course there will always be a lucky few.

So much for the 'improvement' in the economy the Government claim. No wonder desperate people are seduced by the promises of some 'alternative' politicians.


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Chances of finding work are few unless you have a mate running a bar.


----------



## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

Mary have you made an error in typing your first figure - 1965, 672


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

brocher said:


> Mary have you made an error in typing your first figure - 1965, 672


It should read 195672. Apologies. But isn't that horrific...I keep wondering how people survive without any income.
But of course that corrected figure doesn't show the true picture as it shows only those registered, not those who are looking for work but not officially recorded.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> A staggering 75914 people , 39% of the total, lack any financial support whatsoever. The majority will not be eligible for the Government's new benefit of 426 euros a month.
> promises of some 'alternative' politicians.


How all these people cope with no income is something that has genuinely puzzled me since reporting on La Crisis began. There was a story in Diario Sur recently about a young couple who'd won some money in the El Gordo Lottery, for example:-

http://loteria.diariosur.es/navidad/201412/24/maria-jose-cruz-tenia-20141223232410.html

Now, I'm very pleased for them and that they will now be able to pay off their mortgage.

However, the story says the husband, a labourer, has been out of work for 5 years and they didn't have any income apart from the fact that he's just had one month's paid work from their local Ayuntamiento. However, they are obviously well nourished, look very healthy and are both nicely dressed. And where did the money come from to buy the lottery ticket (which aren't cheap, I've never splashed out on one)? It says they've had financial help from family members, but if that's enough to have kept them going for five years there's not that much poverty about, is there?

There are many amongst my neighbours who don't seem to have had any kind of job for several years (apart from the temporary contracts they get from the Ayuntamiento for a few months at a time - first the mother in a family will get one, the next year the father gets one, the year after that an adult son or daughter living at home gets one, and so on). So at any one time, two out of three adults of working age in the household will not have any income coming in. Is that what's reflected in the figures, do you think? I'm not saying they're on Easy Street at all, it must be terribly terribly difficult to manage in those circumstances. But manage they do, somehow - even to the extent that some of the families have a child or children attending the local concertado school, which I thought involved some expense?


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

An article here says some Spanish have been having language lessons in Marbella before taking up jobs in Norway. They will be getting €4000pm but maybe that won't go very far there.

http://www.diariosur.es/marbella-estepona/201412/28/navidad-maletas-hechas-para-20141228021545.html


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Yes, it's a mystery how people survive. I read a post from a woman living in Athens refuting the reports of near- starvation and destitution there. She said shops and cafes were full, no- one was starving and reports of poverty were exaggerated for political purposes.


----------



## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

*Unemployed*



mrypg9 said:


> Yes, it's a mystery how people survive. I read a post from a woman living in Athens refuting the reports of near- starvation and destitution there. She said shops and cafes were full, no- one was starving and reports of poverty were exaggerated for political purposes.


Yes, it is one of Spain's mysteries. On Friday, I was in el corte and it was packed to the gunnels with people buying cos the sales had started and yesterday with the shops being open, it was another day of people passing by with carrier bags and stopping off for drinks, etc. I suppose a lot of people come in from the surrounding villages.


----------



## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> Yes, it's a mystery how people survive. I read a post from a woman living in Athens refuting the reports of near- starvation and destitution there. She said shops and cafes were full, no- one was starving and reports of poverty were exaggerated for political purposes.


I believe the Spanish are pretty intense savers - putting a high proportion of their money away when working, there is also the family support ethic in Spain which we are not used to, and then there's working on the black. 

Also I suspect they are very good at keeping up appearances.


----------



## Pokerface (Dec 22, 2014)

Quite honestly, I don´t believe the numbers.
In a country whereby coruption runs havoc from the lowest of the low, all the way up to the Royal family, even when factoring in margins of error, under no circumstances, even with "family support", is it possible for 39% of unemployed to be receiving zero funding! It just isn´t possible!


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Pokerface said:


> Quite honestly, I don´t believe the numbers.
> In a country whereby coruption runs havoc from the lowest of the low, all the way up to the Royal family, even when factoring in margins of error, under no circumstances, even with "family support", is it possible for 39% of unemployed to be receiving zero funding! It just isn´t possible!


Officially...they are receiving zero funding.

I'm sure many people are finding it hard to make ends meet not only in Spain and Greece but all over Europe. It's in the interests of the left parties to talk up the misery and right-wing parties to minimise it.

The fact is probably that whilst many families are feeling the pinch they aren't on the verge of starvation or malnutrition. I also wonder what has happened to all those who were evicted from their homes.

Whatever, the future looks bleak and seems likely to continue to be so. I had to smile this morning when I read a description of the Greek far-left party Syriza as 'new'. Newly formed it may be but it's a coalition of the usual suspects: Marxist Communists, Maoists, Greens, Trotskyites, feminists, with a smattering of PASOK veterans who have jumped ship because they think they see the writing on the wall. Nothing much new there. That diverse bunch will be too engrossed in sectarian debate to steer Greece out of crisis.
Meanwhile, the euro sinks as the possibility of a forced Grexit looms large. Syriza claims it doesn't want to leave t he Eurozone let alone the EU but I doubt they will not have the power to determine whether they stay or go. It's not in their hands.

And I was interested to note that only 30% of those registered to vote in the Podemos internal elections bothered to do so. Here in Andalucia it seems the fight is on to prevent IA member Teresa Rodriguez from heading the Podemos list for the May elections.
It seems as if Iglesias is realising that participatory democracy is often better in theory than practice.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I'm deeply thankful that we don't have people starving on the streets, but the saddest thing is seeing all the people especially the young pretty much hanging around all the time with nothing much to do. What a terrible waste, and these are not lazy people, they jump at any chance to get work, whether it be a short term contract with the Ayuntamiento or just a couple of days or even hours of cash in hand work, and they're not fussy about what they do. I don't know how parents and teachers manage to keep children motivated to stay in school and study.

I shan't mind paying tax in Spain, even on things I wouldn't have been taxed on in the UK, because it won't be going to support people like this:-

Too Fat To Work couple who weigh 54 stone between them claim £2,000 a month in benefits | Daily Mail Online

Words fail me.


----------



## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Lynn R said:


> I'm deeply thankful that we don't have people starving on the streets, but the saddest thing is seeing all the people especially the young pretty much hanging around all the time with nothing much to do. What a terrible waste, and these are not lazy people, they jump at any chance to get work, whether it be a short term contract with the Ayuntamiento or just a couple of days or even hours of cash in hand work, and they're not fussy about what they do. I don't know how parents and teachers manage to keep children motivated to stay in school and study.
> 
> I shan't mind paying tax in Spain, even on things I wouldn't have been taxed on in the UK, because it won't be going to support people like this:-
> 
> ...


The Mail is full of this sort of story - enormous chav families living in million pound houses flopping out new spawn every nine months, people with bad backs and crutches living it up on golf courses on the Costas. 

What the government should do is employ a company to make sure people on benefits really deserve them.

Oh, wait...


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> I shan't mind paying tax in Spain, even on things I wouldn't have been taxed on in the UK, because it won't be going to support people like this:-
> 
> Too Fat To Work couple who weigh 54 stone between them claim £2,000 a month in benefits | Daily Mail Online
> 
> Words fail me.


I can't see the difference myself. Out of the frying pan into the fire wherever you prefer to pay. Most of the cases below were using taxpayers money.

New year in Spain opens with 150 corruption cases in the courts


----------



## Pokerface (Dec 22, 2014)

Isobella said:


> I can't see the difference myself. Out of the frying pan into the fire wherever you prefer to pay. Most of the cases below were using taxpayers money.
> 
> New year in Spain opens with 150 corruption cases in the courts


I didn´t open the link but I´m guessing that´s another 150 MP´s up at the bench? :heh:


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Plus the fragrant Princess Christina


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Isobella said:


> I can't see the difference myself. Out of the frying pan into the fire wherever you prefer to pay. Most of the cases below were using taxpayers money.
> 
> New year in Spain opens with 150 corruption cases in the courts


At least they are coming before the courts as they're facing criminal charges, unlike the 12,000 people apparently classed as too fat to work in the UK and free to continue pulling in benefits equivalent to an above average gross salary, once someone who has to work for their money has paid tax and NI on it.


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

jimenato said:


> The Mail is full of this sort of story - enormous chav families living in million pound houses flopping out new spawn every nine months, people with bad backs and crutches living it up on golf courses on the Costas.
> 
> What the government should do is employ a company to make sure people on benefits really deserve them.
> 
> Oh, wait...


Perhaps they should send them off to a boot camp. Or cut their benefits, that would slim them down.:heh:


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> At least they are coming before the courts as they're facing criminal charges, unlike the 12,000 people apparently classed as too fat to work in the UK and free to continue pulling in benefits equivalent to an above average gross salary, once someone who has to work for their money has paid tax and NI on it.


They are coming before the courts, yes a start. How many do you reckon will go to prison, or pay pack the money.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Isobella said:


> They are coming before the courts, yes a start. How many do you reckon will go to prison, or pay pack the money.


Although the justice system is painfully slow and those convicted seem to be able to spin out the appeals process just about forever, we are seeing them actually spending time in prison more these days than used to be the case. Fabra, Muñoz, Pantoja, Pujol to name a few off the top of my head. Didn't I read just the other day that Muñoz has just made a rather substantial payment (over €500k) towards what he owes? And Montserrat Caballe has just had to cough up as well, although she managed to avoid jail by doing it.

The benefit claimants sitting at home stuffing their faces won't have to pay back a cent because they're "entitled" to the money.


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Lynn R said:


> At least they are coming before the courts as they're facing criminal charges, unlike the 12,000 people apparently classed as too fat to work in the UK and free to continue pulling in benefits equivalent to an above average gross salary, once someone who has to work for their money has paid tax and NI on it.



Being obese is now officially an illness, isn't it? It's probably an offence to criticise obese people or call them fat...obesism will be added to racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia.......

If Viz comic is still in existence they surely wouldn't be allowed to have the 'Fat Slags' feature...
Sizeist/obesist and misogynistic.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> Although the justice system is painfully slow and those convicted seem to be able to spin out the appeals process just about forever, we are seeing them actually spending time in prison more these days than used to be the case. Fabra, Muñoz, Pantoja, Pujol to name a few off the top of my head. Didn't I read just the other day that Muñoz has just made a rather substantial payment (over €500k) towards what he owes? And Montserrat Caballe has just had to cough up as well, although she managed to avoid jail by doing it.
> 
> The benefit claimants sitting at home stuffing their faces won't have to pay back a cent because they're "entitled" to the money.


I misremembered, it was Juan Antonio Roca and he has paid up rather more than €500K:-


Roca paga al Ayuntamiento de Marbella 5,8 millones de euros por el caso Saqueo 1 . SUR.es


----------



## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> Yes, it's a mystery how people survive. I read a post from a woman living in Athens refuting the reports of near- starvation and destitution there. She said shops and cafes were full, no- one was starving and reports of poverty were exaggerated for political purposes.


I do not think it is a mystery how they survive, they are working black, as they do when they are claiming the benefit too!


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> I misremembered, it was Juan Antonio Roca and he has paid up rather more than €500K:-
> 
> 
> Roca paga al Ayuntamiento de Marbella 5,8 millones de euros por el caso Saqueo 1 . SUR.es


Not bad, he did amass a fortune of around 30 million though


----------



## alborino (Dec 13, 2014)

el romeral said:


> I do not think it is a mystery how they survive, they are working black, as they do when they are claiming the benefit too!


el romeral my Spanish sister-in-law (Madrid) and my Spanish son-in-law (Tenerife) are the closest of my family long term unemployed. There are others. Can you point me to how they tap into the black economy because now they get no state benefits it sounds like it could answer their problems. Cheers for any help


----------



## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

alborino said:


> el romeral my Spanish sister-in-law (Madrid) and my Spanish son-in-law (Tenerife) are the closest of my family long term unemployed. There are others. Can you point me to how they tap into the black economy because now they get no state benefits it sounds like it could answer their problems. Cheers for any help


I have a Spanish sister-in-law in the same situation - two and a half years unemployed now. She's surviving thanks to family help, including from us.


----------



## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

alborino said:


> el romeral my Spanish sister-in-law (Madrid) and my Spanish son-in-law (Tenerife) are the closest of my family long term unemployed. There are others. Can you point me to how they tap into the black economy because now they get no state benefits it sounds like it could answer their problems. Cheers for any help


I do not know how to help your family. What I was inferring was that there are many more people actually earning than the statistics show, due to them working unofficially. Also many, while working unofficially claim whatever benefits they can, as on paper, they are unemployed.


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Isobella said:


> Not bad, he did amass a fortune of around 30 million though


& the rest !

" When he was arrested for corruption in March 2006, police seized assets worth 2.4 billion euros ($3.4 billion), including a century-old palace in Madrid, a country estate equipped with a helipad overlooking the Rock of Gibraltar and a stud farm guarded by a tiger."

Marbella’s Billionaire Spent Bribes on Tiger-Guarded Stud Farm - Bloomberg

He actually was fined 240 million euros & 11 years in prison.

Spain's biggest corruption trial ends with 53 people convicted | World news | The Guardian


----------

