Beatriz Martinez graduated with a degree in art history three years
ago. She’s worked only eight months since then, mostly telemarketing.
Twenty-three-year-old Andrea Gonzales, newly qualified in specialized teaching, works stacking shelves in a supermarket.
And Diego, who declined to give his full name, is a freelance photographer. He’s spent most of his time volunteering with a protest group that tries to protect families from eviction since his commissions dried up.
Meet Spain's lost generation.
More than half of people under 25 here are out of work. That's Europe’s highest rate, ahead of even Greece, which has come close. Spaniards are worried the strain it’s exerting on society is putting stability at risk as the government prepares to cut unemployment benefits among other tough measures aimed at meeting the obligations of a euro-zone bailout.
The country’s largest labor union, Comisiones Obreras, or CCOO, says 1.73 million people under 30 are unemployed.
However, it says the real situation is worse than the figure shows. Of the 2.4 million under 30 who have jobs, half of them are working on precarious short-term contracts. Another 200,000 are believed to be on unpaid or poorly compensated "internships" the union criticizes for offering no real training. It says many are schemes for unscrupulous businesses to exploit cheap labor.
Read more: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/spain/120713/youth-unemployment-euro-crisis
Twenty-three-year-old Andrea Gonzales, newly qualified in specialized teaching, works stacking shelves in a supermarket.
And Diego, who declined to give his full name, is a freelance photographer. He’s spent most of his time volunteering with a protest group that tries to protect families from eviction since his commissions dried up.
Meet Spain's lost generation.
More than half of people under 25 here are out of work. That's Europe’s highest rate, ahead of even Greece, which has come close. Spaniards are worried the strain it’s exerting on society is putting stability at risk as the government prepares to cut unemployment benefits among other tough measures aimed at meeting the obligations of a euro-zone bailout.
The country’s largest labor union, Comisiones Obreras, or CCOO, says 1.73 million people under 30 are unemployed.
However, it says the real situation is worse than the figure shows. Of the 2.4 million under 30 who have jobs, half of them are working on precarious short-term contracts. Another 200,000 are believed to be on unpaid or poorly compensated "internships" the union criticizes for offering no real training. It says many are schemes for unscrupulous businesses to exploit cheap labor.
Read more: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/spain/120713/youth-unemployment-euro-crisis
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