Study: Unaccompanied Migrant Minors in Spain Outperform Local Peers in Job Market Integration

According to a study by the Autonomous University of Barcelona conducted on a sample of 204 young people, including 104 MENA and 100 under Spanish guardianship, 64.6% of MENA work, compared to 29.6% of Spanish minors under guardianship. The study reveals that 84% of foreign minors had work experience before reaching the age of majority, compared to 42% for Spanish minors under guardianship. However, most of these MENA have a lower level of education compared to Spanish minors. 17.7% of them have an ESO diploma or equivalent, compared to 53.9% for Spaniards.

At the age of 21, this proportion reaches 31.3% for MENA. "We think this is due to the change in the foreign law in 2021, which facilitates obtaining work permits and access to training," explains the Autonomous University of Barcelona. According to data from the Spanish Foundation of Savings Banks (Funcas), 5,790 minors arrived in the Canary Islands this year and immigrants already occupy 14% of jobs in the archipelago.

This is the case of Belaid Annahari, a Moroccan who arrived on the Costa del Sol by boat in 2021 at the age of 16. After being taken care of by the Red Cross, he underwent several training courses to integrate. "I did everything, language, painting, administration, Catalan, computer science..." he confides to El Mundo. Having a high school diploma from Morocco, he failed the university entrance exam to pursue studies in economics due to the language barrier. This year, the young man is under a "permanent contract" in an Ikea store in Barcelona where he earns 560 euros per month.