What crisis?

There are signs that Spain is finally crawling out of the worst recession the country has seen in recent years, but it’s not without its casualties. The number of people out of work continues to rise across the country and many believe it has yet to reach its peak. According to Eurostat, the European Commission’s statistic office, Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the 16 nation Euro zone and accounts for half of the job losses within that zone in the past two years. Specifically, according to Idescat (Institut d’Estadística de Catalunya), in Catalunya the number of foreigners in work has fallen by over 100,000 in the last couple of years, many of whom have been forced to return to their native countries as businesses go under. However, for some, the dark clouds of the recession have had a silver lining, presenting opportunities which may not have surfaced if the economic situation had been different.

Bernard Onghena, 44

Bernard, originally from Belgium, had been working as an architect for the firm BST Arquitectos in Barcelona until two years ago. However the company suffered financially and Bernard was let go. “The biggest projects we were working on were never built due to the crisis,” explained Bernard. “I wanted a change but I would have stayed on longer to finish projects.” Bernard then tried to get work in industrial design but was unable to find any companies that were willing to take new people on. Keen to stay living in Barcelona, he found himself at a crossroads. It was a stroke of pure luck that gave him the new direction and the change he was looking for. He was contacted by a Belgian company, Vesparoute who wanted to set up a company operating tours of Barcelona using Vespa mopeds. It was then that Via-Vespa (www.via-vespa.com) was born. “The crisis forced me, or I might say, helped me make the change I needed in my professional life and although it didn’t go in the direction I thought it would, I can say that it has had a positive effect on my life...But maybe I should answer this in a few years!”

Patricia Zeigers, 43

Patricia moved to Barcelona four years ago after working in human resources for Nike in Holland. “I wanted a change of environment, change of lifestyle, a new challenge and an adventure.” Once here Patricia started teaching business English to professionals in multinational companies and through her contacts was soon in a position to take over the running of LANGAGE Advance Training, a business language school in the city. The recession however had an instant impact on business. “We immediately felt the effects. With no firm commitments from any clients continuing their language training the following year we decided to close the company in July 2009.” Not wanting to walk away defeated, Zeigers had the idea of using the space, created by the closure of the school, to set up Basecamp (www.biz-basecamp.com). The idea behind her new business was to connect the self-employed and small businesses in Barcelona and create a network of trusted professionals. “I combine people, ideas, businesses, space, systems and resources. I bring them together in unconventional and original ways.” Zeigers has seen numerous people come through the doors affected by the crisis, many of whom had to rethink the way they work. She says some people become “frozen” and are unable to move forward whilst others profit from the downturn by changing their business plans. She also notes that there are some have a plan and are sticking to it, with the confidence that the good times will return. For Zeigers, the economic downturn has been a wholly positive experience: “I enjoy being challenged. Also I have found something I truly love doing, where I can use all my skills and creativity. I’ve never been happier in my life.”

Claire Williams, 42

Claire came to Barcelona in 2002 after working in the media in the UK for many years: “I was bored and tired, worn out with the London rat race and working too much. My mortgage was too high and I had generally had enough.” When she arrived in 2002 she set up a short-term rental company (www.bcn-bound.com) at a time when the Barcelona economy was booming. The business became an instant success. However, the poor economic climate has meant that Williams has seen here turnover drop as clients now haggle over prices. On a more positive note Williams said: “Tourists have continued to visit Barcelona and many property owners are forced to put their homes up for rent so I have indirectly profited from this turn of events.” It has not been enough to keep her here however. Next year, she hopes to base her business and her family in Australia, a country which has managed to remain relatively untouched by the recession. For Williams, the crisis has effectively been a catalyst for realising her dream of living there: “Having a small business here is made harder by the increase in IVA which went up to 20 percent in July, a knock-on effect of the recession. “I think this is a desperate measure by the government to try to stabilise the economy but it will cause misery for small business owners. IVA is just 10 percent in Australia!”

Gema Lopez, 42

Gema Lopez lost her job as a project manager after the company she worked for outsourced her job last year. Having worked 10 years for the firm, Lopez saw this is an opportunity to fulfill a dream of hers; to take a course in traditional Thai massage. She is also currently studying for an MBA at EADA in the hope that the extra qualification will enable her to find a similar job to the one she held previously. Ultimately she hopes to continue with her business career as well as offering massages in her free time. “The crisis has definitely been a positive thing for me. I know people that have fallen victim to the financial situation but most of them haven’t changed their careers. I took the chance to do something completely different. I enrolled on a course in Thai massage at Wat Po school in Bangkok, one of the most respected schools. It was a comprehensive course and it took me five weeks. I probably would not have had the time or even thought about doing it had my job not been outsourced. So far I am not using it to make a living but one never knows which skills may be useful in the future.”

Marina Olle, 24 and Cyntia Jimenez, 30

Marina and Cyntia met when they were both working as freelance make-up artists. When they both found themselves out of work due to the economic downturn they came up with the idea of opening a vintage shop here. “I was out of work for four months and Marina for two,” explained Jimenez. “We simply were unable to find openings in our sector, so came up with the idea of La Lentejuela.” (www.lalentejuela.com) The shop in the Born sells second-hand vintage clothes, accessories and jewellery. They have also ensured that they do not lose their skills as make-up artists by offering courses. Despite the shop being open for only a few months, Jimenez and Olle feel positive about being in control of their own destiny and admit their lives would have been different if it were not for the crisis: “We believe it forced us to seek new work options and do what we really wanted in the fashion and make-up world. Now we are prepared to take more risks and fight harder to achieve our dream.”