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Rabat – Spain will train and employ Moroccan truck drivers to encourage migration into Europe’s transport sector as it currently suffers from a labor shortage, Reuters reported.
The news agency quoted “a senior Spanish government source,” adding that the program is one of the first in Spain to allow more flexible hiring of foreigners, in order to fill technical vacancies.
The number of participating truckers has not yet been determined, Reuters added.
The truckers chosen for the program will begin their training in Morocco and complete it in Spain, before getting a work contract for at least a year, the source added.
Suffering from a labor shortage, Europe needs more than 400,000 truck drivers to maintain supply chains, according to the European Road Hauliers Association in 2022.
In addition to attempts to make the profession more attractive, European countries including Spain have also turned to migration as a solution to fix the problem.
Spain relaxed its work permit rules for foreigners last year, in another effort to address the labor shortages that persisted as the country was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic
Migration management is one of the key areas of cooperation between Rabat and Madrid, with the two countries pledging increased work in the field since ties started improving in 2022, following Spain’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan.
The two countries also have in place a circular migration program under which Moroccan workers can go to Spain when there is high-demand on a temporary basis, especially in the field of agriculture.
The new program could also alleviate some of the troubles of irregular migration, giving some young Moroccans more legal means to go to Europe.
