Study Finds British Expats Getting Younger

Study Finds British Expats Getting Younger

More and more younger people are moving to Spain

The number of British expats aged between 25 and 35 has dramatically increased since 2011. For the past few decades it’s been pretty easy to imagine what the profile of the average British expat was; British people living in Spain and aboard were typically at least 50-years old and loved living a good old fashioned British live; the difference being that they had a nice tan, lived on a small bit of beach with a bar and a greasy spoon café, and about the only words of Spanish they knew were the British staples of “please” and “thank you”.

But now a survey from the British bank NatWest has shown that the demographics have changed. These days British expats are getting increasingly younger, have more upward mobility, and accept that they may only be living overseas temporarily.

The survey from NatWest also showed that, as recently as 2008, roughly two-thirds of the British expats living abroad felt that they were “lifers”; that they would stay overseas permanently and would never go back home due to many factors such as low cost of living, healthier lifestyle, warmer climate, remote working and many many more reasons.

Now the number of Brits who feel that they would never go back home is down to just one third. Back in 2008 only one in ten of the Brits who moved overseas did so for their work or another temporary assignment. Now that number is up to 50% - and these expats are getting younger.

As companies worldwide are looking to hire a more mobile staff the idea of moving to another country and working there for a few years is becoming more common. The survey from NatWest found that one in four British expats are aged between 25 to 35, compared to one in six from 2011.

The gender breakdown of these expats is becoming almost as equal as Spain itself. In 2011 only one-third of Brits who sought out a new life overseas were women. Now around half of British expats are women.

Dave Isley, head of NatWest International Personal Banking said that the typical expat doesn’t look how they used to. There was a time when moving abroad was such a huge commitment that everything would change for anyone who made the change.

He added that people are more willing to move to new shores to find adventure and start a business or advance their career thanks to the advances in remote working and the many ways that people can stay in touch with their friends and family.

Spaniards Could be Getting Third General Election before Christmas

Spaniards Could be Getting Third General Election  before Christmas

Spain hasn't suffered al all without an elected government

on the contrary Spain has flourished on all levels 

Living in Spain with the Spanish political situation has gone from being a farce to being just outright bizarre. It’s becoming increasingly likely that Spaniards will have to head to the polls for the third time in twelve months to vote following the general election of last December. It looks like the vote this December could even fall on Christmas day.

The second general election, held in June, ended with things looking similar to how they did in the first one from December. The People’s Party (PP) of acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy won the most votes but did not quite gather a majority. They also didn’t have enough friends to call on to form a coalition.

While there was always the chance that there could be a third election many hoped that a compromise would be made over the summer. Rajoy himself recently agreed to a six-point plan of action given to him by the centre-right Ciudadanos party in return for their support in forming a coalition. He also agreed that at the end of August he would be submitted to a confidence vote in parliament.

The main problem that has dogged the People’s Party is still around however in the form of the Socialist party. They have been unrelenting in their opposition to Rajoy and his PP. Unless they support Rajoy or decide to not be included in the general election it’s unlikely that the political deadlock will ever end.

This is where things really get interesting. In the – quite likely – event that a vote of no confidence arises Spanish law dictates that the King of Spain must dissolve parliament and arrange an election 54 days later.

The confidence vote is set for August 30 and if you do the maths you’ll quickly work out that 54 days after August 30^th is Christmas Day.

Barely any Spaniards will like the idea of abandoning their Christmas plans to drag themselves to the polling station and vote for the third time on what boils down to the same election.

As such it’s expected that turnout will be down sharply if the election is actually held on the 25^th. There are also people who believe that the date could have a positive effect on turnout. They surmise that people gathering with their families away from work will likely make politics a hot debate and it will cause more people to come out to vote.

That the electorate has been asked to vote for the third time in a year shows just how dissatisfied the Spanish are with the political climate of the country. It seems like Spain is a country where either the People’s Party or the Socialists are the ones in power.

The funny thing is that Spain has done just fine without a real government these past 12 months. More people are employed, the GDP is on the up, the property market in Spain continues to improve and tourism is the best it’s ever been. With Spain holding itself together so well it wouldn’t be that surprising if Spaniards continued to vote to stop a real government from forming and messing everything up.