"I had a worker who preferred to sleep in prison, because, at least, he slept peacefully"
Insertion companies warn that the housing crisis causes a "double exclusion" among vulnerable people: many of them get a job, but continue to be unable to access an apartment
Palma"I had an employee who said they preferred sleeping in prison, because at least they slept soundly." The reflection by the vice-president of the Association of Balearic Insertion Companies (AIBEI), Maria Jaume, encapsulates one of the sector's main concerns: the housing crisis is preventing many vulnerable people from escaping exclusion, even after finding a job.
The insertion companies of the Balearic Islands report that their users suffer "double exclusion." Added to the social and labor difficulties they already face is the impossibility of accessing housing. "People in this program find themselves with more problems because they don't have a support network or have lost it. Many are in a delicate situation, living on the street or in cars," Jaume explained during the presentation of the 2025 report.
As she warned, it is increasingly common to find people who, despite having a salary, still cannot rent a home. And even when they manage to share an apartment, the living conditions are often complicated.
The 2025 report compiles data from the seven insertion and solidarity economy companies associated with the Network of Alternative and Solidarity Economy of the Balearic Islands (REAS Balears) and AIBEI. These entities offer socio-labor pathways ranging from six months to three years with the aim of facilitating the incorporation into the ordinary labor market of people in situations of vulnerability.
261 jobs
During 2025, the seven companies maintained 261 jobs, of which 150 corresponded to insertion contracts. Furthermore, 31% of the people who completed their itinerary were subsequently incorporated into the ordinary labor market.
The entities that make up the network are Benfet Serveis i Manteniment, Deixalles Inserció i Triatge, Deixalles Serveis Ambientals, Eines x Inserció, Mestral Inserció i Medi Ambient, Retexsol and Triam de Tot.
The report also highlights the economic weight of these companies. Joint revenues exceeded 9.3 million euros during 2025. Of this amount, only 18% came from subsidies —approximately 1.7 million euros—, while the remaining 82% corresponded to revenue from services provided.
According to the data presented by AIBEI, the return to public administrations exceeded 1.9 million euros, a figure equivalent to 118% of the subsidies received.
On the other hand, Jaume has valued the modification of the Law of insertion companies of 2007, which eliminates the restriction that prevented hiring people who had had a fixed contract during the previous three months, even if it had been partial or as a permanent discontinuous. The reform also expands the situations considered as social exclusion, a change that companies in the sector consider an advance.