Ceuta businessman argues that benefits may discourage immigrants from seeking work

Jalid, a Spanish businessman of Moroccan origin, argues that some financial benefits may discourage immigrants who arrive in Ceuta intending to work from seeking jobs. He runs a business in the El Tarajal industrial estate and says that a significant proportion of his workers enter the city through recruitment arrangements processed in Morocco.

According to him, 80% of the immigrant employees he works with arrive through this route. He explains that the process involves dealing with the State Public Employment Service and the Foreigners’ Office, followed by an application for a visa.

Jalid also gave the example of someone with two children and an income of €1,100 who, in his view, could live on a benefit such as the Minimum Living Income (IMV). That statement alone does not describe how the benefit is calculated: it tops up countable income to the guaranteed income applicable to each household, provided the established requirements are met.

In 2026, the IMV guaranteed income is €1,173.76 a month for a household consisting of one adult and two minors, and €1,393.84 for two adults and two minors. The actual amount depends on income and family composition. Conditions include income and assets limits and, subject to legal exceptions, at least one year of continuous legal and effective residence.

The businessman’s comments come amid difficulties in creating jobs in the city. Ceuta’s unemployment rate exceeded 22% in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 9.8% nationally, according to EPA figures cited in the investigation. In this context, the opportunity to work and businesses’ ability to recruit are part of the debate about labour-market integration and public benefits.

Article written by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.