Spanish government official says country will need 270,000 migrants a year to meet labour demands

SPAIN will need an average of 270,000 migrants every year up to 2050 to meet the economy’s demand for workers, a government official has said.

Secretary of State for Migration Consuelo Rumi said considering immigration as a threat would be a “grave error” for the country.

Spain’s aging population meant there would not be enough workers to fill posts meaning there would be less money available public spending, Rumi added. She was speaking at a migration forum organised by the Inter-American Development Bank.

“It is morally unacceptable and politically indecent to blame migrants for the ills of society,” Rumi said.

It comes as figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) showed the arrival of 287,882 immigrants into Spain offset a general population decline in the first half of 2018.

The overall growth rate during that time was 74,590, with 166,320 people leaving Spain and deaths exceeding births by 46,273.

A total of 179,794 babies were born in Spain during the first six months of 2018, the lowest figure since 1941.

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Joe Gerrard

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