Llucmajor was never a summer village, most of the locals have a summer home closer to the sea where they stay and enjoy the hottest month of the year. This week has been very warm, as the temperature hit over 30 degrees. When the square heats up, the people disappear into their cool houses. Last spring was different, people did not work so much, and we spent many afternoons under the trees enjoying coffees and drinks with old and new friends and neighbours.
This year is different, we must recuperate the two years we have lost in the pandemic. I went to the square today and it was empty at 10.30am. I sent a couple of messages to friends, but no one was available to come over for a coffee. “I am working and have no clue when I will have the next day off,” one friend told me. As it seems everyone who wants to work is going to work this summer. The lack of staff is really challenging, and some business owners have decided to reduce the hours and days they open.
For Scandinavians, Mallorca is a popular place to come and work for the summer season. I have several companies that have been calling me and desperately asking for help to find staff. Funnily enough I have had Nordics asking for help to find work as well.
I spoke to Sasan Bagheri, who normally lives and works in Sweden, because this week he put out his own ad searching for work in Mallorca. Sasan is not one of the youngsters who want to come to Magalluf and work in a bar for the season. “No,” he laughs when I ask him. “I am 37 now and I have done that many years ago. Back in the day I worked in sales and as a bartender in Cyprus. Nowadays, I work within recruitment, and since 2019 I have also done some part time work as an actor. I am also an aspiring writer, and I am writing my debut novel at the moment. I have lived most of my life in Sweden, but I have always strived to move away from its cold and dry climate. After a few months of travelling around Asia and living and working in Cyprus for about 1 year, I decided that I need to change my daily surroundings permanently. So, when I graduated from the university in Sweden, I started travelling regularly to different parts of Spain in order to try it out and find a new home. They say that life is too short to spend where one is not happy. When I think about it, some of my happiest moments and memories are from Mallorca. So, the decision wasn’t very hard to make when I was thinking about where to spend this summer.
“I have lived in Can Pastilla for some time, and today I feel that maybe I should have just stayed there. I also have a few friends living on the island and it would be great to go back and spend some time with them as well. Last year, I lived in Malaga for about 6 months. Still, it is Spain, and you get all the good things that comes with being in Spain. But still I felt that there was something missing, and I did not get the warm and satisfying feeling of being “home”. I guess that Mallorca is quite addictive, in its very special way. I particularly appreciate the diversity of the island. Stunning mountains, some of Europe’s most beautiful beaches and old charming villages. The lush and green western parts of Mallorca, and then of course we have Palma which is a gem in the Mediterranean.
“The proximity to Ibiza and cities like Valencia, Alicante and Barcelona makes the geographical location of Mallorca very appealing to me. Who doesn’t love a weekend trip to these surrounding areas? The dream job for me this summer would probably be, something that would allow me to still have time to enjoy the sun and the island. Naturally work will take a lot of time and energy, but I guess that coming from a cold Nordic country, one takes all opportunities to “defrost” in the sun after 6 months of winter. So far, I have been offered 4 different positions. I have been offered to work as a recruiter in an office in the Calvia area, and also with customer service in Palma. Besides that, I have been contacted regarding a few bartending and sales positions.”
What about the housing problems in Mallorca Sasan? How are you going to find somewhere to live? “Finding a place to stay has been a real challenge. I often see other people that have been offered work, that are still looking for accommodation. They are desperate, and I understand why. Usually, finding an apartment for rent isn’t an issue in countries like Spain, but this year it is crazy, especially in Mallorca. I did not expect these issues earlier this year, otherwise I would have considered to maybe hurry up and buy my own place since I am moving back to Mallorca anyway. But now there is no time for that since summer has already started. So I will have to try to find some place to rent.”
So I understand that you have your mind set to move back but what are you most looking forward to in the future here on the island?
“In the future I look forward to be able to go back and live and work permanently on the island. I am most likely going to buy an apartment somewhere in the Palma Bay area, and since I have a car it will be easy to explore some more parts of Mallorca. I look forward to getting started with a new job, finish writing my book, and also hopefully can continue working as an actor as well. There has been lots of movie productions in Mallorca in recent years with some famous international actors visiting the island. I believe that the interest in Mallorca will grow within the movie industry, and hopefully that will create opportunities for me as well.”
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