Salaries are too low in Barcelona and that’s bad for everyone
Soon Barcelona will host the next iteration of the Mobile World Congress. About 95.000 professionals are expected to visit this city which could become the next hub of innovation within Europe. The chances are actually not that bad. Investment numbers increase, the tech scene has grown exponentially in the last years and there are programs to support startups and mentor them, like the Startupbootcamp Barcelona, co-founded by Claro Partners.
There is also a problem. Attracting talents is quite difficult, as Aleix Valls (MWC Barcelona, mVenturesBCN) pointed out in this years 4YFN press conference. This should be especially true when it comes to professionals with some years of experience. Barcelona has a unique life style and atmosphere to offer but this might not be enough to attract them on a large scale.
Family friendly and stable urban living is becoming more important with the years along with the need for fair compensation. That’s where Barcelona falls short in comparison to other European large cities. Talking to Spaniards and other European professionals you quickly realise that a 30K salary is a joke if you’re not just graduating from university, tax differences and average living costs in comparison to other big cities considered.
Of course there are companies which do an extraordinary good job, pay you well or are just the perfect fit for you right now. But as a company (startup or not), if you don’t pay your employees well, you will lose when it comes to the international(!) competition of attracting and keeping talents. This means that your workers will have more financial worries and stress. This means that your quality of work will suffer and you are more likely lose against the competition, not only regarding talent, but also in acquiring projects or new markets.
Paying your staff fairly costs a lot, but to pay them poorly will cost you everything. And this will define the fate of Barcelona as a whole.
Agree or disagree? Join the conversation! Let us know your opinion and share your experience. Specially if you’re on the employer side. This is something we can only solve together as a city.