A new amendment to the Social Security Law, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on December 26th 2013 is not going down well with many Spaniards, particularly young people, who have been forced to try and gain employment abroad.
The revised text means that any unemployed Spanish citizen who is out of the country for more than 90 days in a calendar year will be considered as non-resident for Social Security purposes, thus losing any rights to health or other benefits.
Many young people, frustrated by the high levels of unemployment and the lack of any cohesive government strategy on employment, have seized the initiative and sought gainful employment abroad. Now, if they return and do not have an employment contract in Spain, they will be denied health care and other social benefits and will have to take out private insurance.
Spain has the highest youth unemployment in the European Union. There is also criticism that the amendment was sneakily published on December 26th, in the middle of the Christmas holiday period when people’s minds are elsewhere.
The amendment came into force on January 1st 2014.