Il 60% di soldati e marinai che si sono ritirati dalle forze armate spagnole a 45 anni sono senza lavoro.

#Translation

The insertion into civilian working life of soldiers and sailors who have to leave the Armed Forces when they turn 45, at which point they become special availability reservists (RED), continues to be a pending issue for the Ministry of Defense. Although, in recent years, Margarita Robles’ department has redoubled its efforts to ensure that these people do not swell the unemployment figures, the fact is that only 43% of REDs have found a new job after leaving the Army, according to the Observatory of Military Life in its latest report.

From the data published by this body, which depends on the Cortes Generales, it can be seen that, in 2023, 2,339 troops were automatically transformed into special availability reservists, when they reached the indicated age and did not obtain one of the 1,000 vacancies offered that year to become career military personnel. In this way, they raised to 7,729 the number of RED, of which more than 4,400 remained unemployed, as of 1 January 2024.

All these reservists, whether they have a job or not, receive a monthly availability allowance which, after an increase of 4.52% in 2023, amounts to 708.28 euros. 708.28. It is paid until the age of 65. However, the corresponding taxes must be subtracted from this sum, so that the amount received is still lower. This allowance, however, is incompatible with any other remuneration from the public sector. This is not a minor detail given that, given the scarce opportunities in the private sector, it is in other areas of the public administration that these personnel find new employment.

In order to alleviate unemployment among former military personnel in the rank of troops and sailors, the lowest and most numerous of the Armed Forces, the Civil Guard, the National Police and the Customs Surveillance Service must, by law, reserve a certain percentage of vacancies in each of the calls for new personnel that they carry out, which, as a minimum, must reach 40% in the case of the Benemérita and 20% in the other two corps. Likewise, the Ministry of Defense has signed agreements with Autonomous Communities and City Councils so that the autonomous and local police forces also have exclusive posts for military personnel.

In this sense, throughout 2023 and early 2024, the three aforementioned forces reserved 1,539 positions. However, these are not exclusive for RED, since active duty soldiers can also apply for them. This is in the government’s interest that these personnel, who are close to 45 years of age, find work outside the army even before they reach reservist status.

##Why soldiers are expelled from the Armed Forces at the age of 45.

Where Spanish soldiers, both active and reservists, find major drawbacks in the private sector, as denounced by various professional associations, such as the Troops and Marines (ATME). In 2023, 822 jobs were published in the System for the Use of Professional Skills of Military Personnel (Sapromil), a platform where different job offers are published, both in the private and public sector, to which troops can apply, only 172 of which belonged to the private sector. According to the Military Life Observatory, 504 people applied for the latter, of which 137 were REDs. In Sapromil, there are 576 registered companies, with an average of 70 firms actively advertising, and 21,688 registered soldiers: 18,162 active and 3,526 RED.

Another initiative that seeks to promote the insertion of ex-military personnel in the civilian labor market is the so-called “Es Tu Fuerza” project, for which the Ministry of Defense and the CEOE have joined forces and which focuses mainly on the information technology, construction and transport, logistics and driving schools sectors. In 2023, the 110 companies participating in the program offered 88 vacancies, for which 906 interested parties registered.

Pretty common in Spain. It is extremely difficult for a Spaniard to get a job above 45 years old. Companies and entrepreneurs here want “fresh meat” to exploit and they’ve got a never-ending influx of migrants from South America to do it.

Are there no programms to integrate Spanish soldiers into a normal job? The German Armed Forces will help soldiers finding a job after service by paying for training and subsidizing wages.

They can join Ukrainian military)

hehehhe seamen