Spain: How ordinary people are coping in the economic crisis
All the macro-economic signs point to Spain turning a corner for the first time in six years since the crisis began. Unemployment figures fell throughout 2013, and the economy contracted at a lesser rate than in the previous four years. But over 25 per cent of the labour force remains unemployed with youth being hit even harder: over forty per cent of 16-24 year olds can not find a job. In a five-part series, RFI goes beyond the figures of Spain’s economic crisis and finds out how ordinary people are coping.
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- Emotional crisis
Audio report - Emotional crisis
In Spain unemployment, forced evictions and increasing inequality are taking their toll on society. As the country enters its seventh year of recession there are signs that the financial crisis is bearing heavily on people's emotional well-being. Correspondent Eirik Vold reports from Albal.
- Students without future
Audio report - Students without future
For the first time in decades, Spanish youngsters are facing significantly lower living standards than their parents. Today's students are facing over 50 per cent youth unemployment. Having a university degree does not guarantee a job. For many, hope lies beyond the country's borders as correspondent Eirik Vold reports from Castellon.
- Back to agriculture
Audio report - Back to agriculture
During Spain's economic boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Spaniards left the land in droves to work on construction sites in urban centres. The agricultural sector began to rely more heavily on migrant labour. But when the economic crisis hit in 2008 and the construction bubble burst, Spaniards began returning to the land. Eirik Vold reports from an orange grove in the province of Valencia.
- Immigration
Audio report - Immigration
For the first time in decades the number of people who leave Spain is greater than the number of those who enter. The economic crisis has left immigrants in a vulnerable situation. But in spite of unemployment and poverty, Spain is still the gateway to Europe for those who flee from hunger and war. Eirik Vold reports from Valencia.
- Cheap Christmas
Audio report - Cheap Christmas
Some economists in Spain estimate that figures from this year’s Christmas shopping season will be the beginning of the end of the economic crisis. Yet ordinary Spaniards still struggle to make ends meet. And while most people try to forget about economic problems, for some Christmas only makes the trouble more visible. Eirik Vold reports from Valencia.
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