1 in 10 Costa Blanca teens don’t work or study

ALMOST 11 per cent of youths aged between 15 and 19 in the Costa Blanca neither study nor work according to a study.

The survey, carried out by the ESADE business school shows that 10.9 per cent of youths in Spain have no work and are not studying. Spain is followed closely by Italy with 10.2 per cent and Portugal with 8.6 per cent; while at the other end of the scale is Norway, with just 3.7 per cent.

When it comes to youths between 20 and 24, Spain comes after Italy (22.6 per cent) with 17.2 per cent. The media in Spain invented a term for youths that don’t study or work, ‘ni-ni’ (ni estudia, ni trabaja). Only 2.5 in 10 youths are optimistic about their future.

However, the study also shows that 50 per cent of entrepreneurs in Spain are aged between 18 and 34, and that 72 per cent of youths consider that independent professionals are better regarded by society than businessmen (38 per cent).

Despite this, it reveals that only 5.1 per cent of Spanish workers are entrepreneurs and that 52 per cent of people prefer to be employed by others rather than self-employed.

Almost 70 per cent also consider that scientists and artists are better regarded than businessmen and three in 10 youths are not afraid of being turned away from a job because of their way of thinking.

The study shows that 42 per cent of companies in Spain employ between one and nine employees, and that 19 per cent more companies are closing than are being created.

In Spain, the study reveals, youths consider that society in general is not very creative and think that getting a job is a question of luck or thanks to others.