Over half a million Spanish jobseekers have NEVER worked

576,900 jobseekers in Spain have never worked.

The worrying figure means that one in ten jobseekers in Spain have yet to even get their foot in the door.

This means that at least 576,900 people in the country are trapped in the vicious circle of no work without experience.

Two out of every three of the jobseekers with no prior work experience are under the age of 25 and women and those with few qualifications make up almost half of the total number. 

The figure has almost tripled since the beginning of Spain’s economic crisis at the end of 2007.

According to Asempleo and Afi, the Spanish consultancy firms that have carried out the study, the chances of finding work in Spain at this point are almost halved if the applicant has no prior experience (6.6% compared to 12%).

Inexperienced jobseekers who did manage to get work in the last three months of 2013 did so mainly by finding temporary work (85.4%) and part-time work (56%).

The study, based on statistics from Spain’s national statistic institute, EPA, also highlights how a staggering 88% of those who kick-started their careers did so by taking a job they were overqualified for.

Spain’s official unemployment rate is 26%, while the youth unemployment rate is a high 55%.