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Spain has announced a plan to match migrants with jobs under a programme that is yet to be formally launched, aimed at granting legal status to around half a million undocumented workers to help drive economic growth.
The country’s top immigration official disclosed this to Reuters. The scheme was announced by the government in January and is expected to help ease labour shortages while strengthening the country’s economy.
Spain’s Secretary of State for Migration, Pilar Cancela, said the plan is a smart approach to immigration, both humanitarian and economic, which would make public services and pensions more sustainable.
She added that the country can handle up to one million applications and that job-matching support will be part of the process to help migrants enter formal employment.
Spain’s Secretary of State for Migration went on to explain that migrants will be guided into sectors with high demand, including construction, tourism, transport, and care services. She said: “It’s a huge opportunity to harness the potential of all these people who are already helping to build the country alongside us, often working in precarious conditions.”
According to the government, Spain needs about 2.4 million more workers paying into social security over the next decade to support its ageing population.
Based on Think-tank Funcas reports, it estimates that there are around 840,000 undocumented migrants working off the books, mainly from Latin America.
