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young people have embraced “B salaries”

November 14, 2025 by usatoday24

Although the Spanish economy seems to growthe economic situation for many workers It’s not so positive. This precariousness is causing almost half of young people to accept a “B salary.” That is, with money undeclared. According to a report recent InfoJobs report, one in four Spaniards would be willing to receive part or all of their salary in black if that serves to increase their monthly income. Submerged precariousness. What is more ethical not making ends meet or arrive breaking the law? According to the report ‘Moonlighting and Salaries in B‘ prepared by InfoJobs, 26% of Spaniards are clear about their answer and prefer to collect part or all of their salary in B, and one in 10 acknowledges having done so in the last two years. This figure represents an increase compared to the same 2020 study, in which the number of workers willing to collect part or all of their salary in black represented 23%, but a decrease compared to the 2023 data, which places that percentage at 28%. The data, significant in itself, becomes more worrying when broken down by age: among young people between 18 and 24 years old, the proportion that would accept receiving their salary in black is close to half (48%). Salaries that do not arrive. This data reflects the real need to increase income in the face of wage stagnation and the increase of the cost of livingespecially in those who earn less than 1,000 euros per month. In that salary range, payment acceptance in B reaches 38%, regardless of age. Mónica Pérez, director of Communication and Studies at InfoJobs, points out that “the loss of purchasing power and the difficulty in accessing quality jobs are pushing many workers to look for alternatives to maintain their standard of living.” This is not a marginal practice, but an increasingly common reality for those who, as the data demonstrate, they have low salaries and unstable contracts. Among the people who declare having received part of their salary in B in the last three years, 69% claim to have received up to 20% of their salary, and 22% indicate having received between 21% and 60% of their monthly income with undeclared money. Job insecurity. According to the report, there is a close relationship between the payment of black money and job insecurity. 30.3% of employees who claim to have received payments in B as part of their salary had non-regulated training. At the opposite extreme, only 13.2% of employees with higher education or 14.1% with medium training cycles received this type of payments. Among the reasons why employees have accepted this type of remuneration, it stands out that 50.3% claim that it was the only option offered by their company, followed by 29.4% of employees who stated that this remuneration was actually a remaining part of a salary that they needed to complete. Bad salary, bad retirement. Although for many employees being paid at B is more a matter of survival than an economic plan, accepting salary payment at B implies partially giving up social rights that are governed by labor contributions. That is, if part of the salary is collected in black, the contribution base is lower, so the sickness benefit, unemployment benefit or retirement pension are calculated on a lower base and the amount is lower. In Xataka | Although salaries have risen 8% in Spain, an upward trend emerges: poor workers Image | Image | Unsplash (Shoeib Abolhassani, Ru Dur)

The lack of generational change has opened a job opportunity for thousands of young people in Spain: bus driver

November 12, 2025 by usatoday24

The driver shortage In Spain and Europe it has generated an opportunity for those looking for a stable and well-paid job. Municipal companies are fighting to hire new talents who want to train as drivers of their city buses. The lack of generational change in passenger transportation is a problem that affects many local companies, which cannot fill the vacancies left by retiring drivers. The shortage of drivers in Spain and Europe. According to published data According to the European employment body EURES, in 2023 there were 105,000 vacancies for bus and coach drivers in Europe, which represents 10% of all positions in the sector and an increase in vacancies of 54% compared to the previous year. In Spain the situation is not better. The driver shortage already an officially recognized structural problem. The deficit affects both the freight and passenger transport sectors, and contrasts with the surplus in other professions such as administrative or technical personnel. The forecasts of the transport sector is that, by 2026, 37,000 new bus drivers and about 126,000 truck drivers will be needed. Why are there drivers missing? Among the structural factors that aggravate the shortage of drivers, the absence of a generational change. According to a report According to the Spanish Bus Transport Confederation (CONFEBUS), the aging of the workforce is one of the main reasons for this shortage. Data recorded by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) included in the EURES report indicated that, in many European countries, less than 5% of drivers are under 25 years old. Furthermore, the incorporation of women to the sector is very low, since only 12% of drivers in the EU are women. He sector It estimates that it will need about 24,000 new drivers per year to compensate for the rate of retirement of current staff. CONFEBUS also recognizes that working conditions in the sector Nor have they helped to attract young people: long hours, irregular shifts, temporary contracts and poor family conciliation. Access to training and certification is another obstacle, since the obtaining the CAP or the D permit entails a high cost, especially for young people or migrants who do not have sufficient economic resources and find there a barrier to accessing these jobs. Government aid for training. Precisely to alleviate this economic obstacle when obtaining permission to transport goods and passengers, the Government has promoted a Royal Decree which gives the green light to the Reconduce Plan, which offers aid of up to 3,000 euros to cover the costs of training and obtaining a bus or truck driver’s license. This helps is directed to people who want to train in the road transport sector and is available to cover the costs of the necessary courses and exams. The conditions to access this aid include being registered in the National Youth Guarantee System and meeting the age and training requirements demanded by the Ministry of Transport. Driverless buses. Faced with a prospect of constant staff shortages due to the progressive aging of the population, more and more city councils are deciding to start pilot tests with autonomous buses on their streets, not without some reluctance among the current driver templates. For example, in August the first test of this style was launched in Barcelona, allowing a driverless bus to cover a short 10-minute stretch in open traffic. Our colleague Iván Linares tried it in first person. Madrid has just started a similar test autonomous bus, although in this case its scope of circulation is limited to Mercamadrid. These projects seek to modernize urban transportation and guarantee mobility, although they are still in the experimental phase, so they do not represent a short-term solution to the problem of driver shortages. In Xataka | Barcelona has grown tired of fining 80 cars a day for invading the bus lane. So he’s going to start monitoring them with AI Image | Wikimedia Commons (KingValid04)

In Galicia some parents educated their young son at home. Now they are condemned for “irresponsible unschooling”

November 7, 2025 by usatoday24

He homeschooling It’s news. And it is on account of a sentence issued by a court in Vigo that has decided to impose a fine of just over 2,000 euros (with severe reproach included) on parents who decided to educate their nine-year-old son at home, removing the little one from the school in which he was enrolled for the 2024-2025 academic year. The ruling is interesting not so much for its consequences (the penalty is not high: 1,080 euros per parent) as for its arguments and because it differs from other rulings on the same topic that yes they were acquittal. One moment,homeschooling? The term may seem strange, but it is not new. In fact, it connects with a movement that started in the US in the 70s. He homeschooling It is neither more nor less than an educational option that advocates educating children at home, far from conventional classrooms and schools. Often focusing educational responsibility on parents and those who practice it stand out above all its ability to adapt to the needs of each child, its personalization and flexibility of schedules, content and spaces. How many people practice it? Hard to know. In Spain it is estimated that there are between 2,000 and 4,000 families unschoolers. If we talk about the United States, there are calculations that indicate that 3% of students between five and 17 years old receive training at home. The variety of data is explained by the lack of censuses (case of Spain) and above all because the practice does not have the same lace in all countries. To better understand the regulatory differences, it is good to take a look at the web of Homeschooling. There are nations that clearly prohibit it, others that protect it and then there are cases like Spain, where there are those who consider that home education moves in “a legal ‘gray area’”. Swampy terrain. That is why sentences like the one just handed down by a judge in Galicia arouse so much interest, especially because not all cases end in the same way. What have they judged in Vigo? What the Criminal Court number 1 of Vigo has ruled on is a very specific case: some parents from Gondomar (in Pontevedra) who decided to take their nine-year-old son out of the public school in which he was enrolled last year to educate him at home. The ruling recalls that, despite the Educational Inspection’s resolution denying deschooling and the warning from the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office, the parents continued with their plans, betting on homeschooling and a personal itinerary. The boy attended an academy for two hours a week, but the bulk of his education depended on the program decided by his parents. And what does the sentence say? The fundamental and key of the sentence, as precise Vigo Lighthouseis the educational bet chosen by parents. The ruling speaks of “flagrant deficiencies”, an educational project that “does not meet the minimum requirements” and “irresponsible unschooling” that compromises the child’s “academic progress” and, ultimately, will condition his life. “In this case, the education provided directly and almost exclusively by the parents, basically based on their own personal criteria and ideas, without an alternative educational method to the minimally solvent official one and without some evaluative objectivity, represents irresponsible unschooling,” the judge warns in his sentence, disclosed by Lighthouse and with a resounding tone. “There is negligence in education and failures in basic care duties.” Why is it important? Where you put the focus. The sentence focuses mainly on these shortcomings and the “irresponsibility” of the child’s family. In fact the ruling insists in which the parents did not even resort to an “alternative external educational system to the official one” and selected the subjects based on “their own criteria”, without any other reference. In practice this translated into training that, in the judge’s opinion“does not meet the minimum requirements established in the regulatory framework of compulsory education.” The minor participated in activities such as bicycle outings, excursions to the forest, sailing with a jet ski, collecting chestnuts or cooking, but he received “basic” skills in fields such as mathematics or language. For example, his parents did not teach him geometry. The expert who was in charge of examining the case in fact noted a “confusion” between the family routine and the school routine and also pointed out the “privatization of socialization” of the child. Does it explain anything else? Yes. The ruling conveys an interesting message. He explains that “home education may not be criminally reprehensible,” but it must meet a series of requirements, guaranteeing that the child will receive “sufficient” training thanks to an educational system that must be “responsible and competent.” In fact, this is not the first ruling issued by the Vigo court on the subject: at the beginning of 2024 spoke about another case involving parents who educated their son at home throughout the 2021-22 academic year. The Prosecutor’s Office found a crime of “family abandonment” (the same one that has been tried now) and requested five months in prison for the parents and six months of disqualification for parental authority. What was the result? On that occasion the judge acquitted them. Although he homeschooling was underlying in both cases, the judge noted clear differences in both cases. In the 2021-2022 report, it concluded that the parents did not show “carelessness” or “carelessness” and carried out “responsible unschooling.” The little boy continued to be educated with official books, he attended various extracurricular activities and the homeschooling It only really lasted one course. In fact, a year later the minor was already attending another center again, where he continued training “with absolute regularity” and obtained good grades. Is it legal or not legal? Europa Press assures that the ruling of the Court of Vigo warns that the homeschooling It is not a legal option in our country and it is “unquestionable” that parents who do not send their children to school violate an obligation contained in the … Read more

Neobanks break 25% market share in Spain. Traditional banking is losing young customers

November 7, 2025 by usatoday24

They are no longer an anecdote, they are a main actor. For the first time, neobanks have exceeded 25% of the market share among individuals in Spain. A new report echoed by some media, places the penetration of these entities in 27.2%. It is a significant jump from the 21.8% they registered in 2024. The data confirms a clear trend: traditional banking is losing the battle for the young customer, although it continues to retain the main business. Image: Revolut What is a neobank. Unlike traditional bankingneobanks operate 100% digitally, without physical branches. Their model is based on a very light cost structure that allows them to offer commission-free services all managed from a mobile app. The Bank of Spain itself defines them as entities that offer banking intermediation services in a completely digital way. The assault on the young public. Neobanks entered the Spanish market attacking a very specific niche: young people and travelers. a study from Adyen and OpinionWay reveals that practically all Spaniards (93%) reject paying banking fees abroad. This has caused 59% of millennials and 55% of Gen Z to trust them more than traditional banks when traveling. Part of the “win” in innovation and reputation It’s not just in the product, but in the marketing. They understood that an app was not enough to attract the new generations; You had to be where they are: social networks and platforms like Twitch and YouTube. Revolut has been the most aggressive, renewing for a third year its alliance with Ibai Llanos and sponsoring its “Evening of the Year.” It seems that traditional banking has reacted to this trend, and has used the same weapons: now, Banco Santander has signed the YouTuber Plex. With almost 15 million followers on their networks, He is the protagonist of the last campaign. The Revolut surprise. This growth is not uniform; It is led by the well-known Revolut. A report from the CNMC was devastating: in 2024, Revolut led the acquisition of new accounts in Spain with 19.8% of the total, surpassing giants such as BBVA and Santander. The CNMC was blunt and recognized that “neobanks and fintechs pose a real competitive threat.” Figures. That leadership in recruitment now translates into real money. According to data from Expansion and El Mundo, the total neobank customer base in Spain exceeded five million in 2024. Revolut quadrupled its deposits in a single yeargoing from 739 million euros to 3,127 million. Meanwhile, its competitor N26 (with one million clients) suffered a 9% decline in deposits since December. Image: BBVA Fintech in traditional banks. The reactionary stance of some entities has led them to a strategy: launch their own neobanks to compete in the same field. Imagin stands out, promoted by CaixaBank. Your numbers They do not leave many doubts: they can boast 3.5 million clients and a 48% market share in the 18 to 34 year old segment among the main neobanks. But very few trust them with their payroll.. Despite the good penetration figures, traditional banking continues to dominate the main relationship with the customer. According to a report by Inmark, banks such as CaixaBank, Santander and BBVA account for almost 84% of the business market. Among individuals, only 4.2% use a neobank as their main entity. However, the goal of neobanks is stop being a complement. They are ripening to attack the core business of banking: Revolut has already announced its plans to offer mortgages in Spain and yes it has materialized installment payment services. The official view: necessary competence. The rise of fintech is a trend validated by official organizations. The Bank of Spain, in its 2025 Observatoryconfirms a 50% growth in the number of entities since 2020 and a 249% increase in their total assets since 2018. At the European level, the president of the Single Resolution Board recently warned that the Revolut model reinforces the need for a deposit guarantee fund mutualized in the EU. For its part, the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) and your report It is important to understand why they succeed: The traditional banking sector is highly concentrated. Spain (HHI of 1,331) has a higher index than Germany (323) or France (567). This lack of competition is one of the reasons why traditional banks do not remunerate deposits. It is the neobanks who break this dynamic. The Spanish banking sector is four times more concentrated than the German one, according to the CNMC. Neobanks have not grown by chance: they have taken advantage of the void that traditional banking left by not competing Now, there are always stones on the road. The CNMC points out that Spaniards have a “relatively high level of distrust” in online banking – only 23% feel “very comfortable” compared to the 41% average in the eurozone – and “below” average financial education. This paints a battlefield for the coming years. The growth of neobanks shows that they have won the usability war: they are easier to use and have masterfully conquered the young public. However, CNMC data reveal that traditional banking still has the most important defensive moat: customer trust and inertia. Cover image | Composition with images of CardMapr.nl and Revolut In Xataka | There are more and more millionaires in the world and that is a problem: luxury products are no longer exclusive

The memory of young people is deteriorating at a record pace. Science thinks it knows why

November 4, 2025 by usatoday24

The memory problems among youth are beginning to be worrying. This is what a new study scientist published in the magazine Neurology and that tries to answer why this happens and above all the reasons that exist for our youth to begin to be in decline in regards to to your memory. The surprise. What can logically be expected is that with the passage of time and accompanying aging, memory problems begin to appear that anticipate dementia. But in the United States, after analyzing millions of people, they have seen that the population most affected by this ‘mental fog’ is precisely the youth. And the result in this case is very important: self-reported cognitive problems among young adults aged 18 to 39 have almost doubled in the last decade. But it is something that we are not understanding. The study. To reach this conclusion, a total of 4.5 million people who responded to the national survey of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from the CDC and collected between 2013 and 2023. In this way, there was a truly large sample of people to analyze, although limited only to the United States. The results in this case were quite clear: the prevalence of adults reporting a cognitive disability increased from 5.3% in 2013 to 7.4% in 2024. But what was truly interesting came when separating the results by demographics: In young people aged 18 to 39, the rate skyrocketed from 5.1% in 2013 to 9.7% in 2023. This group is, in fact, the driver of the overall increase in the entire population. In those over 70 years of age we saw a decrease in prevalence from 7.3% to 6.6%, when logic tells us that it should increase. Other factors. In order to know the reason for this increase, other factors behind the respondents had to be traced as well. In this case it aimed at the income level: Have low income with less than 35,000 dollars a year left us with a prevalence that increased from 8.8% to 12.6% With high incomes (>$75,000) the rate was much lower, although it also dropped from 1.8% to 3.9%. But the same thing happens with the educational level, where young people who did not even have high school went from 11.1% to 14.3% while those with university degrees increased from 2.1% to 3.6%. And even in order to obtain much more information, they wanted to analyze the prevalence according to the race of young people, where it could also be seen, for example, that Asian adults are the ones who reported the least cognitive problems. Specifically, the data is the following: American Indians/Alaska Natives: continue to have the highest prevalence, rising from 7.5% to 11.2%. Hispanic adults: saw a significant increase from 6.8% to 9.9%. Black adults: The rate rose from 7.3% to 8.2%. White adults: increased from 4.5% to 6.3%. Asian adults: Consistently maintained the lowest rates, going from 3.9% to 4.8%. What is happening? With all the data in hand, it is logical to think about what is happening so that young people increasingly have more cognitive problems. And for researchers there is not only one valid answer, but there are several that are being proposed. The first of them is that there is greater awareness about this problem, and that is why there are more people who raise their hands when presenting it and have no doubts when it comes to seeking help. But there are also other factors such as economic stressors or work problems that seem to be contributing to these trends. All this without forgetting that the greater presence of digital tools may have meant that our memory is not as trained. But all the social and economic factors we face today can also mark an important milestone when it comes to the real burden on our minds. This ‘overload’ can condition the appearance of these highly relevant cognitive symptoms. Images | Eliott Reyna Milad Fakurian In Xataka | Finding a job had always been a good way to escape poverty: in Spain it is no longer true

With half of Europe debating recovering the military, in Spain there is a phenomenon that is gaining strength: military camps for young people

November 3, 2025 by usatoday24

Moncloa has said it clearly: (at least today) there is no question of following in the footsteps of other neighboring nations, like germanyand recover military service. Not even on a voluntary basis. That does not mean that in Spain there is a type of initiative that is gaining strength: youth camps that emulate (in part) the old ‘military’ and promise a cocktail based on military discipline, sport, nature and survival lessons worthy of the preppers. And that tells us a lot about Spanish society. A percentage: 42% a few months ago a YouGov study generated debate with a percentage: 42%. According to their calculations, that is the proportion of Spaniards who welcome young people having to undergo compulsory military service, the old ‘mili’a benefit that disappeared in our country almost 24 years ago. The percentage is lower that of other neighboring nations, such as France (68%), Germany (58%) or Italy (49%) and also reveals that there are 58% of Spaniards who either oppose the return of the ‘military’ or do not have a firm opinion on the matter; but it yields another reading that is equally unquestionable: there is a considerable number of Spaniards (especially among the conservative party voters and older citizens) who are recognized in favor of compulsory military training. Don’t say military, say camp. Today the Government he doesn’t seem very willing to recover the military (Pedro Sánchez came to admit which for him was “a waste of time”), but that does not mean that there are initiatives and businesses that are prospering in the heat of this renewed military push. I confirmed it a few days ago The Confidential in a report in which he puts the thermometer to the interest that camps with military echoes are awakening in our country. There are two pieces of information that corroborate this. According to the newspaperright now these courses mobilize more than 2,000 young people each summer and account for around 5% of the turnover of the summer camp sector, a wide range that includes urban camps and those oriented to languages and sciences. It may not seem like much, but a decade ago they barely existed. “Detect weak points”. A quick Google search is enough to find military camps in Madrid, Castile-La Mancha wave Valencian Community. Its activities focus on summer, they give a key role to young people and, although there may be differences Among them, they share a series of ingredients: uniforms, nature, sport, a discourse very focused on discipline and training in basic notions aimed at survival, which includes everything from lessons to orient yourself with the help of a compass to how to stop bleeding. In some the equation even adds weapons airsoft. “Our camp is military, not military. We are not the entrance hall to the army nor do we prepare young people to enter any other body such as the National Police or the Civil Guard,” explains José Gómeza 54-year-old former military man who has promoted a summer camp in Sigüenza aimed at young people. “It seeks to detect each person’s weak points and help them improve.” The bet doesn’t go badly at all. It started four years ago with just 14 children and in the last edition it exceeded 200. “In a week the kids leave here hardened.” “15 days do not change life”. The camps stand out for their discipline and “values such as loyalty, sacrifice and teamwork”, such as stands out the person responsible for one of these facilities. Not everyone shares his optimism, however. In 2024 elDiario.es echoed from the opinion of some experts who questioned its effectiveness for parents seeking to instill discipline in their children. “You shouldn’t think that taking (a child) to a camp that works at the drop of a hat is going to give him back changed. 15 days doesn’t change anyone’s life,” reflected Mónica Nadal, from the Bofill Foundation. The Youth Institute (Injuve) also has shown his suspicion before this type of camps. Does it only happen in Spain? No. In fact there are other countries in which military camps for youth have been established for some time, such as USA, Russia either China. Again the details may vary, but there are certain elements in common, such as discipline, paramilitary echoes and patriotic discourse. The phenomenon is not foreign to Europe either and goes beyond young people. In the midst of the debate on the increase of defense spendingwith the war in Ukraine as a backdrop, an emboldened Putin and Trump sowing doubts about the future of the US in NATO, in the EU there are countries that have reopened the debate about the military or they have directly begun to recover it. One of the last has been Germany, which has reinforced its Armed Forces with a voluntary military service. The example of Denmark. Denmark leaves another interesting example. There the National Guard (Hjemmeværnet or HJV) is experiencing a real boom, with recruitment data that has not been seen since the 80s, in the middle of the Cold War. During the first trimester something more than 1,700 Danes They filled out and confirmed the form to register in this body made up of volunteers trained to intervene in an emergency and provide support to the country’s army. As a reference, during the first quarter of 2024, just over 1,000 had registered and in 2023 the figure did not even reach 700. The members of the HJV are volunteers, people who in their daily lives work in offices, stores, factories, schools… but receive training to, for example, collaborate during surveillance work, searches or in weather emergencies. With the focus on Gen Z. The phenomenon does not only coincide with a turbulent geopolitical scenario. As pointed out recently Elisabeth Braw in a column of Financial Timesalso connects with some obsessions of the youngest cohort, precisely the one that is now reaching recruitment age. “An epidemic of loneliness and Generation Z’s obsession with physical exercise could help Western countries strengthen civil defense,” … Read more

In 2007, 20% of homes were bought by young Spaniards. Now that gap is being filled by another group: foreigners

October 31, 2025 by usatoday24

With the skyrocketing priceshe decoupling between supply and demand in cities and a market increasingly inaccessiblethe notaries of Spain have found themselves with a curious fact (not unexpected) when reviewing the home buying and selling data. Operations led by young people have collapsed in recent decades. If in 2007 they represented 22.5% of the total, now they do not reach 10%. Of course, all groups have followed the same dynamic. The statistics Notaries show that there is another group of buyers that has experienced a diametrically opposite trend: foreigners. What has happened? That the General Council of Notaries (CGN) has launched a new tool on-line which helps us better understand the Spanish real estate market. Above all to study key aspects such as the evolution of prices, the pace of purchases and sales or the amount of operations, offering an alternative vision to that of portals such as Idealista. If something has attracted attention During its presentation, however, another indicator was: the weight of young people in the real estate market. Or rather, how it has been receding little by little. What does the data say? The conclusion of the notaries is quite clear. If we look back and analyze the last two decades, we see that “the presence of young people in the market has been drastically reduced.” In 2007, the younger population (those between 18 and 30 years old) was behind 22.53% of sales. Today that percentage has been reduced to 9.55%. In fact, the statistical portal shows that they are one of the groups with the smallest footprint on the market, only behind the group that is already over 70 years old. In general the latest data Updated CGN data show that those under 31 years of age have represented 9.35% of buyers over the last year, far from the 25.7% of the 31-40 age group or 26.89% of the 41-50 age group. For more than a decade, in fact, the average age of those who buy has been around 50 years old. It’s not surprising at all. Other studies have been pointing out for some time the difficulties with which young people encounter to access the real estate market (only a part manages to buy or rent) and above all its gradual weight loss. Do they show anything else? Yes. Young Spaniards may play a much more discreet role in the sector today than just a few years ago, but there is another group that has grown. So much in fact that has covered the gap left by those less than 30 years old. CGN data show that operations carried out by foreigners have skyrocketed in the last two decades: from representing 7.5% of the total in 2007, they have risen to 20.1%. The Vanguard specifies that the increase has been especially pronounced in the case of non-residents, who would be purchasing of the order of 50,000-60,000 properties per year. He statistical portal of notaries allows us to go a few steps further and get a more approximate idea of which foreign citizens are interested in the Spanish real estate market. According to their updated data, the British represent 8.7%, the Moroccans 7.7% and the Italians are close to 7%. They are followed on the list by Germans (6.9%) and Romanians (6.4%). It is interesting that in some of these groups, such as the British, the percentage of non-resident buyers is higher than those who do have their habitual residence in Spanish territory. When comparing the evolution of foreign buyers and young people (between 18 and 31 years old), the data must however be handled with some caution, since the General Council of Notaries does not clarify to what extent they overlap. And what about the prices? In recent years the real estate market has been marked by another phenomenon as or even more relevant: rising prices. The data of Idealistic show that, in Spain, on average, the square meter of residential use cost 1,522 euros in September 2015. It now stands at 2,517. The data does not exactly match the calculated by the notaries, but it still gives an idea of the increase in housing prices. The group estimates that last year the sector recorded a variation rate price increases of 7.12%, one of the highest in the last decade. In fact, it was only surpassed in 2022, when the figure was 7.23%. “From January to August 2025, apartment prices in Spain (new and second-hand housing) have increased by 8% compared to 2024. This situation is worsened in the country’s capital, with Madrid registering a price increase of 15.2%. In Barcelona the increase reaches 9.23%,” concludes the CGN. The director of the Technological Center of Notaries, Alberto Martínez Lacambra, admits In fact, the rise in housing prices “is beginning to be worrying.” And beyond prices? The weight loss of young people is explained by several factors. Although the increase in the price of residential m2 is a key factor, there is an added difficulty in saving (costs rise in the purchase and sale market, but also in the rental market) and accessing credit or deep imbalance between demand and supply that the most saturated markets suffer from. The situation is so complex and young people have it so difficult that in fact notaries have found another revealing surprise: they are increasingly most common donations of housing (or cash for purchases) between parents and children. Regarding the increase in foreign buyers, the trend coincides with another undeniable reality. One that goes beyond the effect of extinct ‘golden visa’: he general increase of the foreign population, which has helped Spain increase its GDP and strengthening of the registry, a reality recognized by the INE itself. In recent years, the country has also gained appeal as a vacation destination, to the point that it threatens to become with more visitors of the planet. Images | Emil Gabrovski (Unsplash) and Roberto Tjalondo (Unsplash) In Xataka | A 40m2 “capsule” for 25,000 euros: the Chinese solution to housing that … Read more

Colon cancers are increasing alarmingly among young people. We have a suspect: sedentary lifestyle

October 25, 2025 by usatoday24

colon cancer It is one of the tumors that has increased its incidence the most in young adults over the last few decades, a trend that is very worrying because has made science need to answer why. One of the most important points are the factors that are influencing more and more young people to begin to have tumors in their digestive system. A big problem. Colon cancer is undoubtedly one of the most aggressive diseases that we endure, and also really frequent among the population, with a really aggressive treatment with surgeries that can mean the removal of part of the colonbut also with a high mortality behind them. Its early diagnosis is so relevant that in Spain there are many autonomous communities that have screening programs either screening (although sometimes they fail like in Andalusia) to begin treatment in the case of positive cases, as soon as possible to increase their chances of survival. The problem is that this horrible disease is becoming increasingly prevalent, and science is seeing many factors that are important to take into account to try to reduce the chances of suffering from it. Quantified. This trend has been reflected in a published study in Annals of Internal Medicine which has detected that in many countries the number of cases among those under fifty years of age has grown up to four times faster than in older people. In the end, it is a phenomenon that has revived the debate about the causes and future strategies that must be taken in prevention and early detection. This is extremely important, since a timely diagnosis can mean a big difference in life expectancy who has a patient. The reasons. As stated in the Institute for Cancer Research, London After studying forty-two different countries, two main explanations have been identified. The first is the screening that is done among adults. Although it is very positive to do screening among the population for this disease, the reality is that there is an age limit from which these tests are carried out. This does not occur among the younger population who do not receive this type of screening tests on a regular basis, which may explain the accelerated growth in this group, since cancers are not diagnosed in the early stages. The second reason given is obesity. In this case It is considered a very important risk factor which drives the increased probability of suffering from colon cancer in young people and adults of all ages. Although it remains to be seen if there is an increase in its relationship with the younger population. Environmental factors. In addition to these two causes, the research led by the CNIO Digital Genomics Group in Spain provides new evidence about why this may occur. In his published study In Nature, the influence of the intestinal microbiota, particularly certain strains of E.coli intestinal, producers of the toxin colibactin. As we already sawthis can cause great genetic damage to colon cells that can accelerate tumor development. But other factors associated with the patients’ lifestyle are also being considered. In this case, the increase in type 2 diabetesespecially when there is a sedentary habit and unhealthy diets that seem to increase the risk of having this type of cancer. A Swedish study with a national cohort showed that people with diabetes reach an equivalent risk of colorectal cancer at younger ages than those who do not suffer from it, requiring prevention and monitoring before the standard screening age in the general population. But ultra-processed diets also come in here, excessive consumption of alcohol or even sugary drinkswhich can be an important risk factor. Prevention. Experts agree that there is no single and definitive cause, but rather a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and social factors. While research continues, it is proposed to implement comprehensive prevention policies that adapt to these realities. To do this, they aim to apply personalized screening that includes risk factors such as obesity, diabetes or family history. But we must also focus on research into how our microbiota can have an important implication in this. This forces us to have to take great care of what we eat and maintain adequate intestinal health. But the most relevant thing is to adapt the recommendations for starting screening for high-risk groups, such as young people who have diabetes or a family history so that they begin surveillance at age 40. Images | Ramon Inciarte Julia Koblitz In Xataka | Until now, different types of cancer required different types of treatment. A new vaccine wants to change that

Young Koreans just want to be doctors

September 20, 2025 by usatoday24

While the two Koreas seems to be giving a trucewho knows if something else, the southern neighbors live with anguish a problem that has been entrenched too long: in an increasingly aged country, becoming old is a condemnation of poverty. And the young? They are also indirect protagonists of this endemic evil: they have agreed to study the same. Brain drain. In South Korea there is an unprecedented phenomenon: students even leave the most prestigious universities from the country (Seoul National, Yonsei and Korea University, known as the Sky Group) to pursue A career in Medicine. Only in 2024 they were recorded 2,481 dropouts In these three institutions, the highest figure in 18 years and 17% more than the previous year. Most of the deserters They came from the natural sciences and the humanities, attracted by the expansion of access quotas to the faculties of Medicine, which passed 3,000 to 5,000 places Annual in a government attempt by alleviating the shortage of doctors in an increasingly aged society. Medicine, perceived as the most prestigious and profitable profession in the country, has become the preferred destination even for those who had reached the quoted places of the elite universities. Pressure on medical schools. The change, however, is overflowing capacity of medical faculties, which already dragged structural problems. Overloaded teachers, massive strikes and classrooms They are now the norm, in a context where resources do not grow at the same rate as demand. At the same time, fundamental disciplines such as basic sciences and humanities They suffer from emptying that threatens the intellectual diversity of the country and erodes the long -term innovation potential. Academics like Theodore Jun Yoo They warn that this trend mine educational balance and puts at risk the production of critical thinking and technological advancement, while The low birth rate It reduces the need for new teachers and researchers, weakening the national academic base. The roots of the trend and the AI. The rise of this career towards medicine does not arise from nothing. Studies show that since 2022 more than A quarter Of the students with the best notes in the university admission exam, medicine to Sky universities have preferred, a sign that traditional disciplines have lost attractiveness as an option for the future. For academics such as Robert Fouser, the proliferation of artificial intelligence and the perception that humanities and sciences already They do not guarantee stability work have accelerated the leak. Japan experiences A similar phenomenonwith young people who choose regional medical schools instead of specializations in social or humanistic sciences in Tokyo, which reflects a regional pattern of more armored careers in the face of technological disruption. Mental of medicine. Paradoxically, some experts point out that this fever for medicine can Not being the panacea or the best bet In the long term. The profession itself is exposed to deep transformations derived from AI and demographic changes that are already affecting pediatrics, reduced by Birthday fall and the displacement of professionals towards more profitable specialties such as dermatology. In other words, this suggests that, in the long term, engineering or technological development careers could Offer more resilience than an overcrowded medical profession. Proposals to stop the crisis. Given this panorama, more and more critical voices ask the government to act quickly. It is raised Medical training more and force new graduates to work at least six years in rural areas, where the shortage of doctors is more pressing. These measures are looking for stop the avalanche towards the faculties of Medicine and redistribute human resources more balanced. However, the situation reflects a substantive tension: social obsession with economic stability and prestige, in the face of the national need to preserve a diverse university system capable of sustaining innovation and technological leadership. Educational crossroads. The “career towards medicine” in South Korea not only reveals social anxieties about the future work, but also exposes the limits of a model that privilege a single path to the detriment of other essentials for the integral development of the country. The risk It seems clear: In the search for individual security, the collective capacity of producing new ideas, of forming critical thinkers and of guaranteeing a balance in professional training is undermined. If you also want, the final paradox is that, in its attempt to ensure more doctors, South Korea could be weakening precisely the bases that have allowed it to prosper as one of the more innovative economies of Asia. Image | ITU PICTURES In Xataka | South Korea has found the formula to improve their birth rate: that companies pay fortunes to their employees for having children In Xataka | South Korea and North Korea had been engaged in the “Altavoces War” for years: it has suddenly ended

“Young people don’t want to work here.” The solution to the problem was there since 1914

September 17, 2025 by usatoday24

Henry Ford was not only A bold businessman which founded an automobile empire, was also the cornerstone that Revolutionized cars manufacturing and a strategist of the economy. For this reason, it is not strange that Jim Farley, the current CEO of Ford, found in the founder of his company the inspiration to solve a serious labor problem. As Farley himself told during An interview With the writer Walter Isaacson, Biographer of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, who during the 2019 union negotiationshe visited some brand factories to directly ask his employees. The CEO confessed to Isaacson that the most veteran told him: “Young people do not want to work here. Jim, you pay 17 dollars an hour, and they are very stressed.” As Farley explained during their interview, the workers told their boss that the new workers, most of them temporary workers, worked for eight hours at Amazon or other works, and then making their turn in Ford sleeping just three or four hours to be able to come to the end of the month due to precarious salaries. A decision inspired in 1914 The Ford template was in a complicated situation since the low wages were moving the youngest, who preferred other ways to obtain a sufficient salary to livewhile the average age of Ford’s fixed personnel was increasing and the vacancies that were leaving They were not covered. In this critical context, Farley decided to pull internal newspaper library and look at what Henry Ford himself did more than a century earlier. The legendary founder of Ford doubled in 1914 the daily salary of the operators at $ 5 per day, much more than average at that time. Ford did not upload the salaries of its employees for a sudden goodnessbut with a very clear logic: “I do this because I want my factory workers to buy my cars. If they earn enough money, they will buy my own product,” Henry Ford confessed. According to Farley, applying this measure “was not easy. It was expensive. But I think that is the type of changes we need to implement in our country.” As a result, the company made temporary workers full timewhich allowed them to access higher wages, participation in profits and better medical coverage. In addition, temporary workers managed to reduce the time they should be working for Ford before opting for fixed job. The objective of the measure implemented by the current CEO of Ford is exactly the same as Henry Ford’s in 1914: ensure a stable, well formed template and be able to retain the best talent to improve the productivity of its assembly lines. Not only is money, it’s also training Despite the salary improvements that were signed in Ford, Farley was convinced of the need to have a good professional education for young people. According to published Fortunein the next decade about four million operators will be needed for the manufacturing industry as the current operators are retired. This scenario is not exclusive to the US. In Spain the demand for qualified labor He shoots In sectors like construction or the renewable energies And there is not even enough young people to cover itnor have they necessary training. “In Germany, all the operators of our factories have an apprentice from high school and each position requires about eight years of practical training,” said Farley, who was convinced that this model ensures the generational relief and quality of the staff. In Xataka | If the question is whether having a university degree improves the employment situation, the data leaves us a figure: 5.7% unemployment Images | FordUnspash (THISISENGINEING)

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