Half those receiving unemployment benefit in Malaga are over 50

In Malaga province there are 70,631 people receiving unemployment benefits, according to the latest statistics from Spain's Ministry of Labour. Of these total recipients of benefits, which include contributory benefits, unemployment benefits, income and agricultural subsidies, more than half (54.31%), are older than 50 years of age. They total 38,362 people.

Both their weight, in the total number of recipients of public aid, and their absolute number is higher than in 2019, prior to the pandemic. In mid-2019, the over-50s accounted for 45% of all unemployment benefit recipients, almost ten percentage points less than now.

In absolute numbers there were 34,500 unemployed in 2019, about 4,000 fewer than today. This means that while the number of unemployed in the province has decreased, the number of unemployed over 50 years of age has continued to grow. The situation is even more serious for people aged 55 and over. They now account for around 10% more than four years ago.

What has happened to young people during this period? In 2019, 20% of unemployment benefit recipients in Malaga province were aged under 35, with a total of 15,400. In 2023, numbers for this age bracket have fallen by 4% to 11,461.

Why is it that the recovery in the labour market is avoiding older, more experienced people? Raymond Torres, director of Funcas, provides several clues: companies tend to adjust by dispensing with older workers because they earn higher salaries than the young people who will replace them. The older workers are also the ones who have more problems re-entering the labour market while young people tend to get out of unemployment more quickly.

The latter, Torres pointed out, occurs for two main reasons. Firstly, because labour activation policies are not working well in Spain, nor is lifelong learning very popular. In addition, he explained, there is a demographic phenomenon as there is a shortage of workers among the younger generations compared to the older ones, which leads companies to retain young people more than older people. According to a study carried out by Torres, for every person between 15 and 24 years old there are three between 55 and 64 years old. That is why unemployment figures among young people are more likely to improve.