As an Spaniard, I can say we have a lot of problems:
- Low industry and industrial market focused to make profit saving in wages, not selling an interesting product or an advanced one, and usually risking the minimum possible. A lot of big companies of different sectors are here because you can pay nearly minimum wage to a trained employee without problem. Most of the people would accept because at least they can have a work.
- Low technology industry, based on giant companies who make cheap and big software, with nearly zero R&D, and wanting the cheapest people possible (they don't want nor need talent or good people). Most of the talented Spaniards that work abroad and get experience and knowledge have trouble getting back to Spain because they are overqualified for most of the jobs.
The past two problems make a physicist, a chemist, or a biologist (for example) hard to find a work in their field, and when they find earn less than working in a fast food restaurant. And that's why there are a lot of then working in sectors who doesn't need a degree (or even high school), or emigrate. That last thing make really difficult to find trained professional here when they are needed.
- An investor market who would only invest in things that could give a lot of money in a really short time period (pubs, home renting, real estate, small companies that are currently in the market and profitable). They won't give an euro to any startup that haven't sold successfully a product already.
- A population that doesn't want to be a freelance worker or making a small company outside some professional groups that have been in that way for decades, like some construction workers, carpenters, smiths, or plumbers, people who have a small shop, etc.
- To worsen the previous problem, is expensive to be a freelance worker or to make a small company. You have to pay taxes even when your professional expenses and profits are zero. The first year isn't too bad (because you only have to pay a small quantity in comparison to the next years, but anyway most people decide to work illegally the firsts months or years to at least have some amount of money when the need to make it legally and start to pay.
- Working on your own not only needs more money, also more time. Depending on where on Spain are you living, the local or regional government will help you less or more, and the procedure will need more or less time, reaching about 10 to 12 months in the worst cases to being able to pay your own taxes to work on your own.
- Corruption in all layers of the society. What politicians care about is how can get more votes, and if they offer something positive for the country in a long term, that won't affect people in actuality, they are gone to lose. Is a vicious circle difficult to find an exit.
- People without education and current difficulties to access it. Some people without education from a few years ago have trouble entering to "Professional training", what could be called "technical school" in the USA, because sometimes there isn't any vacancy to attend it (in public and even in private centres) due to so many people trying to improve their lives in that way.
- An inflated unemployment rate because are people who are working illegally, and this isn't uncommon because they earn their salary and also can access to the unemployment benefit. It's totally illegal, employer and employees could be easily in jail for this, and employees would have to return all the money received, but there isn't any watching this. Other times is accepted in that way because there is the only way to find a job.
With that panorama, how can somebody could have happily a child here?
There are going to be other Spaniard that had some better experiences and actually are happy with what he/she have (this is possible in some parts of the north of the country or in bigger cities like Madrid), and I'm happy that not everybody experience this kind of problems, but that is what I have seen and what I have heard from other people in my circles and the Internet.