The person who arrives in another country looking to be able to eat every day or not to be killed in their place of origin could be you or me. We have been lucky to be born in Europe, to be able to eat every day and not have to hide for our ideas or who we love.
Some politicians and the media use migrants to blame them for all the ills of our country, they call them "intruders", "illegal immigrants", who take advantage of the rights and benefits of the countries they arrive to without giving anything. In return. This leads to a negative view of migrants, racism and discrimination.
First of all, we are going to differentiate between migrant, emigrant and immigrant so that we all know what we are talking about. All immigrants are migrants, but not all migrants are immigrants. For example: a migrant moves within his or her country or from one country to another, to look for work or to reunite with family. There are also emigrants who are those who go to live in another country and in their country of origin they would be emigrants and in the country where immigrants arrive.
Furthermore, we can talk about refugees, who are those who arrive to a country fleeing a conflict or personal persecution for religious, political or sexual orientation reasons. We would also like that, in the event of war and to save our lives, another country would welcome us with open arms and help us get ahead.
You have to put yourself in the shoes of others to understand why a person leaves their home, their family, their culture, their food and their language. Nobody does it for pleasure.
At Foundation For Justice We know that migrants provide diversity and are fundamental for economic growth. They have an average age between 20 and 40 years and constitute important human capital that benefits economic dynamism and increases productivity.
Furthermore, they are the lifeline of the European welfare model. Our population is aging and the fertility rate is low. Therefore, the sustainability of the pension system is in danger and, thanks to them, there is population growth that helps maintain our standard of living.
Many complain about the lack of employment due to the arrival of migrants to our country, but really, The 39% works in agriculture or fishing, a 17% works in the manufacturing industry, a 15% in hospitality and a 12% in cleaning work. The report from the human resources company Randstad indicates that 21,72% of Spaniards are employed in qualified positions, while only 5,06% of foreigners achieve it. Although the majority of migrants have a higher education than the jobs they perform, they occupy the lowest paid and most unstable jobs.
I recently read an article where the Government proposed a plan to hire thousands of people from other countries to work in construction since plumbers, painters, carpenters and electricians are needed. But if there is unemployment in Spain, why are they looking for foreigners to work in construction?
During the 2008 financial crisis, around 1.8 million jobs related to the construction sector were lost. Many of them were performed by immigrants, who had to return to their countries when they could not find work here. Now, after a few years, Spain needs them again.
Miguel Fernández, general director of Tetris, a design and construction company, explained that young Spaniards are not attracted to this sector because of the salary they receive and how hard the work is: "We have to pay more and attract immigration and give them these jobs, but also train them and teach them," Fernández commented in an interview on lavozdehispanoamerica.com.
Young Spaniards are very reluctant to work in this sector and that is why employers are choosing to hire foreign labor. It is estimated that, in Spain, 13% of the workforce is unemployed, that is, one in three young people is unemployed. Among young people between 15 and 28 years old, only 11% do so in construction.
The plan proposed by the Government to hire workers from other countries It has been stuck for a couple of months due to objections from Labor and complaints from unions that have paralyzed this measure.
At Foundation for Justice We fight to try to end the injustices committed against immigrants. We all need each other and we have to help each other. Judging or belittling an immigrant is not fair because we do not know the reasons why they have arrived here and we produce pain that adds to the sadness of being away from their families. It pains me that we do not have a minimum of memory to remember what we Spaniards have been for centuries.
Reflections. Levante EMV Article