Three retirees, one apprentice: How the Balearic Islands can close the skills gap

Three retirees, one apprentice: The quiet crisis on our doorstep

Early in the morning at Plaça d'Espanya the coffee machine is still humming, and next door the shop assistant tightens her apron — she is over 55. The figure currently circulating is both reassuring and alarming: on the Balearic Islands almost 139,000 workers will retire over the next ten years, but only around 52,000 young people will take their places. Mathematically that means: three retirees for every new entrant. Practically that means: empty shifts, longer waiting times and more stress for the remaining colleagues.

The question we have to ask

The central question is simple and uncomfortable: how do we replace three retirees with one apprentice — without the islands suffering as a result? This guiding question runs through hospitals, hotels, construction sites and farms. It is not theoretical; you notice it at the night pharmacy in Palma, at the construction site near Llucmajor when the concrete truck is delayed, and at the bakery that already closes its doors at midday because staff are missing.

Which areas are already burning

The bottleneck is most visible where experience, physical presence and reliability matter: care, construction, hospitality, skilled trades and agriculture. In nursing homes shifts are being condensed, hotels lack seasonal workers — a dynamic described in More Jobs from Tourism — but at What Cost? — and market stalls sell fresh produce less often because there is no successor. The consequences are concrete: longer waiting times for doctors, delayed construction projects, reduced opening hours for shops and a noticeably rougher everyday life.

What is often missing in the public debate

Widely discussed measures like further training, recruitment from abroad or increased automation are important — but there are underestimated areas. First: housing. If young skilled workers in Palma cannot find affordable housing, they commute or leave. Second: recognition of foreign qualifications and the lack of language support. Third: the balance between seasonal work and year-round employment. And fourth: the emotional burden in professions like nursing; robots can take over some tasks, but not human comfort.

What is already happening locally — and what is missing

At municipal level and in initiatives much is happening: cooperation between schools and businesses (Teacher Shortage in the Balearic Islands: Why So Many Positions Remain Open), subsidized accommodation for seasonal workers in rural communities and small funding programs for apprenticeship places. Some hotels bring in workers from abroad, craft businesses offer job-sharing with older colleagues so knowledge is retained. These are sensible puzzle pieces — but not a complete picture.

Concrete proposals that could take effect faster

The situation requires a mix of short-term and structural measures. In the short term, municipalities and island governments could:

- Create housing pools for apprentices and seasonal workers (empty tourist rooms outside the season, municipal housing units).

- Promote commuter and shuttle services between suburbs and employment centres so that workers are reachable without a car.

- Set up recognition offices that speed up the bureaucracy for foreign skilled workers and coordinate language courses.

In the medium term the following are needed:

- Guaranteed apprenticeship places with binding cooperation between hotels, chambers of crafts and schools.

- Incentive systems for companies that invest in further training (tax relief, grants for trainers).

- More flexible working models such as part-time, job-sharing and age-appropriate handover concepts so that older employees stay longer and can pass on their knowledge.

Why this is a political debate and not a company problem

The gap is not a problem that individual companies can solve alone. It's about infrastructure — affordable housing, childcare, reliable public transport — and about predictability. If the islands are to be attractive for young people and returnees, we need clear signals from politics and business. Subsidized apartments for care staff and a clear recognition procedure for foreign nurses are not charity, but investments in everyday life.

A local proposal — small but effective

In a village near Palma one municipality began allocating vacant municipal flats according to a simple principle: priority for workers in system-relevant professions. The result: the local bakery found a young baker, the care home found a night watch. It's not a cure-all, but a practical example of how local decisions can have quick effects.

Conclusion: Act instead of waiting

The Balearic Islands face a demographic challenge that is noticeably changing everyday life. Three retirees to one apprentice is more than a statistic — it's a wake-up call. Short-term measures can buy time, but investments in housing, education, mobility and recognition of skills are sustainable. People who live here already hear the foghorn of the problem in the bay and see it at the market hall. Those who can act should start — locally, concretely and without false modesty. Conversations with bosses, proposals in town meetings, apprenticeship initiatives: small steps can shrink the gap before it becomes a chasm.