An interesting study by the UAL (Almeria University) has revealed the hidden benefits of the immigrant to the economy in Almería.
A three year investigation, which started off just trying to work out how to calculate the benefits and costs, has revealed that 52,000 immigrant workers in the province generated 140 million euros worth of tax in 2006, or around 2,700€ a year per immigrant. For Andalucia as a whole, the immigrant economy brings in some 1,340 million euros to the region.
The study is titled “El impacto de la imigración en el desarollo económico de Andalucía“, published by the UAL and the Seville University Press.
The study pulled out some surprising figures for the province. If the figure of 52,000 is correct, then 1 out of every 4 workers here is now an immigrant, out of which 21,000 work in the agricultural sector, and a further 25,000 in other works. 3,000 are autónomos and 1,000 are women working in domestic service.
Arboleas stands out as one of the towns with the highest number of immigrants resident there; they are 60% of the total. 40% of all immigrants in Almería are Morrocan, followed by a further 35% of them being Romanian. Only Girona, Baleares and Alicante have more resident immigrants than Almería.
The value of the Brit expat pound to the economy is not mentioned in the resumé I have of it.