Spain’s plan to keep young(er) adults forever young

Postponed adulthood, Tom Hanks, and a system that redistributes from the haves to the haves.

Photo by Victoriano Izquierdo on Unsplash

By the time Spain celebrated its first and second Oscar-winning actors in 2007 and 2008, the global economy was unravelling. Two years later, when Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz married, the financial crisis had gone nuclear.

Spain would quickly become no country for young adults. Students had no idea they were about to graduate into a post-disaster teenage wasteland.

“The economy is sustained by the sacrifices of millions of people who barely share in the benefits of economic booms, yet fully bear the burden when they burst,” wrote Jorge Dioni López in El malestar de las ciudades.

Millennials couldn't enjoy the boom, but bore the brunt of the bust.

Mind the gap

In Spain, no word is more commonly used to describe the post-crash situation facing young adults than precariedad, instability.

Salaries in Spain are around 20% lower than the EU average. The most common salary (€1,215) is 30% lower. Workers under the age of 24 are the only age group earni…