YOUNG PEOPLE WITH NO SPACE TO DREAM ON THE ISLAND

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News

This is the headline in today’s edition of Jornal Madeira.

The story reveals that more and more young adults from Madeira are looking outside for living conditions that they cannot find on the island. To Jornal, they say they are pushed to emigrate for multiple reasons, such as low wages, job insecurity, high real estate prices and rentals, the economic crisis and even the lack of professional opportunities.

Those who choose to stay, fight daily to reverse a difficult reality for those who now enter the job market.

Something I have mentioned several times in the blog, and this year we will see more and more younger people leave.

The government are doing nothing to help this younger generation stay, and the lack of staff especially through the catering and hospitality industry shows it, and it will only continue to get worse.

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Tobi Hughes

30 Responses

  1. This reminds me of Cornwall, same situation. High local rental costs [if rentals can be found] low pay in the hospitality industry continues and the young people will leave. The Government can extend “concessions” to the Pestana Group to help with the costs of the pandemic but not the young people. These people are our islands future, will they only be able to return in old age where they might well put strains on our overstretched health services? But that’s OK because the tourists bring profits for the large companies to build even more monstrosities [for the tourist] with little thought as to how they will be staffed….rant ove, sorry. Happy Sunday everyone.

  2. Spot on Pete. I couldn’t agree more. The growth in tourism has it’s limits, it will not continue to grow. It is limited by the cost of access to the island. At the moment the only way to come and go is by air. Whilst there is currently amazing growth in air transport to Madeira, it will level out and even collapse as other destinations and costs make Madeira less popular.
    Why the alternative of ferry communication continues to be suppressed is nothing short of criminal.

    1. I hold my hand up as I am one of the incommers [if that’s a word]. Certainly noticed and increase in air costs when I need to go to UK. Tourists are valuable in bringing revenue to the island but the big companies need to give a good increase in the local “pay packet” everything is geared up to the tourist, we see giant cruise ships pass west virtually each evening, they bring income and profits some of which should be passed to the workforce who make the holiday experience special, tasteless buildings and high speed internet is not the be all and end all. I have a rule, I buy local in the first instance, if that is not available then I choose Portugal. If its still not available I don’t buy and question myself if I really need it…:)

  3. I’m in high school right now, and this is completely true – I’m studying hard so that I can get a scholarship somewhere outside of Portugal, because I really don’t see a future for myself here.

    Salaries are far too low, the cost of living is high and keeps increasing, there’s a lack of professional opportunities, and the population here is afraid of change. Sure, those things happen everywhere, but they’re especially amplified here in Madeira (and Portugal in general).

    And I’m still pretty lucky to live in Funchal and have the support and opportunities I need to move on – what about people in more rural areas? They don’t have adequate transport infrastructure, go to underfunded schools, and don’t have the same access to resources compared to those living in more urban areas.

    1. I used to really admire Madeira and Portugal in general, and see a future for myself here, but that’s completely changed for me over the past few years. Fuck, this makes me sad – we could’ve done so much better..

    2. It’s very sad Nuno, snd the government really don’t give a shit, all they are interested in is the next big developments to line their pockets, and let the corruption continue. Albuquerque and Calado both need to go…

  5. The Government has a responsibility to
    Enforce the Developers to provide 20% of all property built to be.for locals together with some form of assisted buying either through co ownership or in the form of financial assistance….compliance needs to be a condition of granting planning permission

  6. I have written on this site before, about madeira, a no go area, just good for the dozens of government xarks

  7. The above, and more, are the true facts comments about madeira, 90% of the working people are on min, low, poor wages take home between €300 to €700 pcm, the other 10% are the big lions, in government, doctors, lawyer’s, banker’s, hotels companies, parliament jobs, its a can of descasting worms ? 90% of the madeirences can not afford to have a visit to the dentist, as they do not have the €60 to pay, indeed a beautiful island, where everyone looks rich, but a lot of the families live like the Filipins do, there is a member of the family abroad and sending a little money to them in madeira, A hospital that is not fit for purpose with as it allways been an appauling patient service, where the nurses think and act if they r doctors and the doctors think and act as if they r God’s, ow yes in year 2021 a private hospital opened but only for the madeira lions 10% as the consultation only is €55 + all the medicines, I went in with a throat infection = come out with antibiotics and pain relief at a cost of €95 , that services is not for the 90% of the madeirences, a few years ago there was an amazing peoples MP and He started by opening the lid of the can of the worms ? and talking the truth, a bout the rats that were governing, the mafia in government found a way and put him in prison, basically is no difference than north Korea or Russia, = the dictator govenered for over 40 years and at 75 he left the one that is there now , it’s all in the family, so any comments tell the truth and don’t mislead,

  8. Ow yes Ronaldo has joined forces with pestana, destroy more and more banana plantation to build more 5 ? hotels, the lions grow more and more, shame about the there workers having to put a false smile, what about the baniff bank, when r they going to give their customers there money back that it was taken from them, yes its called the Lusados = immigrants hard work saving accounts were robed by the lions = banker’s and government,

  9. First of all I am no fan of football…for a longtime Ronaldo has been promoted as the golden boy of Madeira. It’s a sad fact that he is no better than the company he chooses, if it wasn’t going to make HIM money he wouldn’t do it! Group P & R would be nothing without their staff, look after them sir they are what are visitors remember not the hotel that looks like converted public convenience ?. O, and that disputed goal from the world cup belonged to team Portugal not any one individual. It’s so sad to see the island changing rather than evolving, gradually Funchal seems to be coming a high end Benidorm ?

  10. All this doom and gloom in the comments. Having fewer tourist-focused developments is not going to increase salaries, lower the cost of living (the war is a major factor, not just real estate prices) or create opportunities. Can young people in New York, London, Paris afford to live in nice apartments and houses at the heart of the city? Maybe a few influencers and heirs, the rest live elsewhere or are stacked like sardines with roommates in small spaces. It’s the same in any city.

  11. This issue is kind of a tempest in a teapot. Young people who grow up on the island *should* leave, go see the world a bit. Get some global experience, or even just living in Portugal, where you have some bigger and more economically diverse cities. Develop more skills, go to Brasil and create new professional networks for yourself.

    I actually think staying on the island is the mistake. Go out, get great experience and skills, make your mark, then move home to Madeira if you want to raise kids or start a business. The island will itself continue to develop and become ever more economically developed anyway, but not at the pace or diversity of riches the bigger world offers.

  12. Matt, your comment is totally insane and uncaring, many young people have no choice but to try to make a life in Madeira as most of them have to live with their parents as they can’t afford to rent apartments, thus also leads to them having to care for their nearest and dearest as the government does fail to care and attend to the needs of the elderly, just go down town and observe little old ladies begging for a few coins to survive, more understanding required by you Matt.

    1. There are elderly beggars in many countries, this is not reflective of the general state of affairs in Madeira. Most little old ladies are receiving priority checkout and seating and drinking coffee with their friends, not begging for coins. Madeira is part of Europe. Young people with some intelligence or skill, some desire to improve their lot and some initative have many doors open. Think bigger than Madeira.

    2. I could produce an anecdote too to counter your old beggar example. There is a video circulating right now of groups of young men in Calheta performing stupid tricks or dares with cars. It seems to be a passtime for people with nothing to do. PSP intervened. Should we use this as an example of how perhaps young people are lazy and wasting their time instead of earning what they want?

  13. A bit of an insensitive comment saying that the government is doing nothing to keep the young in the island and that that will make the lack of resources in hospitality and catering industry even worse.

    Tobi… the young that are leaving are the ones who do NOT want to work on catering or hospitality industry for the living. Your statement implies that the young madeirean are leaving to work on hospitality and catering somewhere else when the truth is the ones more prominent to leave are the highly qualified.

    About 1000 madeireans go to mainland’s universities every year. They will develop friendships, relationships and they will be closer to industry when they finish their graduation. So there is a big problem and making those young return. The government has been fighting for improvements in Maddeira university but all the central government does on budgets is cut cut cut.

    There is however a new window on technologies that has opened. Technology companies worth now about 2/3 of the tourism industry in Madeira. It is expected that in 5 years the technologies industry will overcome the tourism industry.

      1. If you make that kind of question than I also have to ask why are you still living in the island if you think the government is so corrupt? Do you accept living in a corrupt island?

          1. So if it’s as you say, everywhere, your answer is what ? Doesn’t seem much point in leaving. Certainly don’t move to the UK, it’s too much like Madera, high cost of living, low wages.

      2. Sorry Tobi but that typical British haughtiness feeling of thinking everywhere else outside UK is a shithole full of corruption is highly unpleasant.

        1. Antonio Lamas
          Maybe they need to change the present president to Boris this way they can have plenty corruption and unfinished projects and money diverted to travel and parties and given to is rich friends fake companies and a bankrupt island. Nothing is perfect been a few cases of corruption in the island but is getting better at least their is a investigation and enquirer and we can’t even say the same about the UK everything brush under the carpet .

        2. Antonio, we don’t all share Tobi’s view and with our present state of politics I certainly don’t look up to the UK as free of corruption.

    2. How nice to read a reasoned comment instead of an unconstructive, unreasoned criticism.

  14. Well many times when the young go studied in mainland in Portugal neither they want to return back to the island they prefer to live and find work in the mainland of Portugal or EU .And main times they even go in exchanges programmes like Erasmus or others and decide to not return back to Madeira or even Portugal .And only a very few return in other day the Jornal da Madeira their was a report that many councils have personal shortage in many departments and they are find difficult to find anyone to contract .

  15. Sadly corruption is widespread the world over. We all have our opinions, whilst I might not agree with everyone, I respect that. Cost have gone up but it’s as much about quality of life and for me that has to be Madeira.

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