The lack of qualified workers in vital sectors for the Spanish economy such as hospitality and construction is increasingly pressing. This is also the case of professional driving, which has a deficit of around 500,000 bus drivers in Europe, according to sector data. A situation that has led Moventis, the collective mobility division of Moventia, to look for hiring methods at source to cover staffing needs.
In 2022, the company began a program to recruit bus drivers from Peru due to the difficulties in finding professionals in Spain. “Years ago we detected this problem of lack of generational change and despite all the efforts, we did not find enough professionals,” says Marga Pedreira, Director of Human Resources at Moventia. With an average age of 55 years among drivers, the company has launched campaigns to promote the activity and pays for courses to obtain a bus license (costs about 5,000 euros) and a professional training certificate. The salary in Catalonia for a bus driver is around 40,000 euros gross. “Still, it is not seen as an attractive profession,” laments Pedreira.
They have found the solution 10,000 kilometers away. The bilateral agreement between Spain and Peru led Moventis to look for experienced drivers in the Lima area and surrounding areas with the help of a local consulting firm. For the first call they received 800 job applications and ended up selecting 58 drivers. The offer included an indefinite contract, a search for housing (which the company pays for two months) and support to settle down. The first drivers from Peru arrived in February 2023 and were assigned to Girona and Malgrat de Mar.
The good progress of the program has led them to open a second recruitment call, with which another 92 drivers from the Latin American country have arrived. “On this occasion we have gone there to explain what type of company we are and to give more security to the applicants,” comments the Director of Human Resources. In total, Moventis, with a workforce of more than 6,300 people, has invested 1.5 million in this hiring plan.
Most come alone with the aim of saving. Others have begun family reunification after completing a year of work here. “For many it is more than a job, it is a vital opportunity,” says Pedreira. Juan Elmer Vila, a driver who recently arrived from Lima, sees it as a way to provide opportunities for his children. “I have four children and we had talked about the possibility of me coming to work in Spain,” he says; “Now I will be able to help them study.”
