Escaping the crisis at the cost of leaving everything behind. That is the preference that grows within one of the age groups hardest hit by low wages, deteriorated as a result of 104% inflation that does not let up. knowing the emotional cost from the blind bet, the trend is undeniable.
According to a study by the Observatory of Applied Social Psychology of the prestigious University of Buenos Aires (UBA), 68% of Argentines between the ages of 18 and 29 would leave the country if they had the resources to do so.
The report, carried out in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area and five other large urban centers, shows that the most common response is the dissatisfaction with the economic situation and the resignation that “the country will not be able to get out of its decadence for many years.”
Within the framework of a decade of virtual economic stagnation -which includes the governments of three presidents of different political persuasions-, with an exacerbation of the social crisis reflected in the gradual increase in poverty, the horizon that is looming for those who are just beginning to enter the world of work does not show arguments to be optimistic.
“The main reason for the survey result is that young people perceive that the country it’s not going out of this situation, and that is disappointing for them,” explains Gustavo González, psychologist and director of the observatory in charge of the research, to Sputnik. The specialist says that the feeling that nests in this age group already has a name: “For those under 25 years we coined the concept of ‘broken vision of the future'”.
“Young people perceive that their parents lived worse than their grandparents, and that they are going to live worse than their parents. Upward social mobility in Argentina is over,” says González.
68% of Argentines between the ages of 18 and 29 would leave the country
In the collective memory of Argentina, the memory of the brain drain persists: the decision of highly qualified professionals to emigrate at various times. The first occurred during the military dictatorship of Juan Carlos Onganía (1966-1970) and the second, after the social outbreak of the 2001 crisis.
According to the National Directorate of Migrations, between June 2021 and the same month of 2022, more than 11,000 people between the ages of 18 and 29 left Argentina to settle in another country. The number must be relativized: the last national census indicates that the population of this age group totals 10.5 million people throughout the country. In other words, only 0.1% of young people emigrated.
Pros and cons of migrating
Franco was born in Buenos Aires into a middle-class family. In 2021, at the age of 22, he came to Spain in search of an improvement in the quality of life. Since the night in Malaga, he has shared with Sputnik the reasons that led him to try his luck abroad: “The economic part weighed heavily on the decision. Knowing that here I can support myself with a salary was essential to decide to leave, because that did not happen to me in Argentina.”
Similar is the case of Sebastian. From the Australian city of Perth, 12,000 kilometers from his homeland, the 28-year-old man affirms that “in Argentina I felt stuck. I had two jobs, but my salary ceiling would never be enough to buy a house or change the car ” .
“I worked a lot, from Monday to Saturday. In order to pay the rent and make ends meet, I needed three jobs and couldn’t save. The little things of everyday life, like going out to eat, gradually faded away,” the young man told Sputnik.
González argues that these perceptions are increasingly common in the under 30 years: “I think they are aware that they will not be able to buy a house, or that to buy a car they will have to save for a long time. It seems that young people no longer feel that this is a land of opportunities.”
Although it is unavoidable that Argentina is going through a profound increase in prices with a significant impact such as rents, the two Argentines acknowledge that -even when foreign salaries are higher- the cost of living is also: “The economic difference is immense. But when it comes to evaluating what the salary is for, that gap narrows: staying here is much more expensive,” says Sebastián.
“Free public health and education in Argentina are fundamental. Here you always have to have a large amount of savings just in case,” remarks the young resident of Australia.
At this point Florencia and Lautaro, an Argentine couple living in Berlin, coincide. From the German capital, they explain to Sputnik that “the income here is much higher, but I don’t know if you live better. Among friends it is quite common to share an apartment and even a room. Perhaps, if we wanted to live here as we lived in Argentina, it would not be enough for us “.
The emotional cost of moving to another country
Assiduous researcher of the phenomenon, the director of the observatory in charge of the report highlights the emotional cost that those who leave their country must face. “He uprooting It is very hard. Leaving does not mean that the possibility of being happy increases, quite the opposite: you leave behind friends, your family and the idiosyncrasy of your country,” says González.
“Let no one be naive to think that emigration is wonderful: quite the contrary, it is very hard. The problem is that, despite this difficulty, given the Argentine economic outlook, many people continue to decide to leave,” says the psychologist.
Franco feels it in his own flesh. Despite the two years that have elapsed, he still acknowledges that “the fact of being away weighs heavily on a day-to-day basis, especially on special dates such as year-end parties and birthdays, for example.”
Specialist warns that the loss of human resources is worrying because those who leave are the most highly trained
“I miss my family and my friends a lot. It’s hard to know that, if I have a son, he will grow up far from his grandparents. That weighs heavily,” Sebastián agrees.
In the case of the youngster, a fundamental factor of socialization consists of the intensity of the ties: “Friendships in Argentina are much stronger: we go to war for a friend. In Australia, a friend is someone with whom you go out to have a beer, tops”.
Franco adds that there is a substantial difference between the “warmth” of Latin America and the “coldness” of Europe: “Here, in Spain, it is very rare to greet someone by hugging them: everything is at a safe distance. In Argentina, I greet all my friends with a kiss”.
“The physical distance it shocked me a lot. Sometimes I feel like I don’t belong here,” says the migrant.
The story of the two young people shows the difficulties to overcome outside the economic sphere: “It is very difficult to sustain this situation for a long time until you feel integrated. All these countries are very different: no one stops feeling like a ‘frog from another well’ ‘” Gonzalez says.
Individual decisions have an impact on the whole: mainly, in the loss of people trained or with university studies. González explains it specifically: “What worries us is the gradual and systematic loss of the best human resources. Those who leave are those with the best training.”
Faced with the many challenges facing Argentina, this is a difficult bleed to remedy. “Those who are going to stay are those left behind by a distressing situation of poverty, and that is dramatic in the long term. More than half of the children under 14 are poor,” says the researcher.
