The GOB argues that the eco-social transition can generate more jobs and a better quality of life

GOB Mallorca presented the report this Friday in Parliament Impacts on the work of ecosocial transformation in the Balearic Islands. A degrowth proposalPrepared by the Garúa cooperative, the document argues that a well-planned eco-social transition could lead to a net increase in employment, with higher-quality jobs and more dignified working conditions, while simultaneously improving the quality of life for citizens. GOB spokesperson Margalida Ramis explained that the report puts forward "fundamental proposals" to move towards an economic model less dependent on tourism and more aligned with the archipelago's ecological limits. "The Balearic Islands are a limited, fragile territory, damaged by environmental and economic crises that must be at the center of the social and political debate," she emphasized. She added that the goal is for the document to serve as the basis for a public discussion throughout 2026 on the economic, social, and political viability of these proposals. A model based on over-tourism

UIB researcher Iván Murray, a member of the GRICCS research group, has presented a metabolic analysis of the Balearic economy, that is, an evaluation of the energy and material flows that sustain the current model. According to Murray, since the end of World War II, the Islands have become "a laboratory of touristification," a process that has fueled dependence on an abundant and cheap workforce to serve an ever-increasing transient population. This model, he explained, has been accompanied by strong demographic and territorial pressure, as well as a high level of energy and material dependence. Currently, each person generates a daily material footprint of 27.4 kilos, and 90% of the energy consumed in the Islands is used for electricity and transportation—air and land. "We are an economic system that requires many external resources and leaves an unsustainable environmental footprint," Murray warned.

Regarding working conditions, the researcher noted that, although the average salary is close to 2,000 euros per month, the most common jobs within the tourism sector do not allow one to cover the cost of living in the Islands: "A room in a shared apartment can already cost around 1,000 euros per month." In contrast, the salaries of management or executive positions reach 5,000 or 6,000 euros, a gap that, according to Murray, highlights the inequality of the current model.

"The pandemic should have been an opportunity to rethink everything, but what it has demonstrated is the extreme vulnerability of a tourism monoculture and the structural dependence on the outside world," he added. "COVID was not an accident, but a warning of what is to come."

Proposals for a decade of transformation

The Garúa report proposes a transformation strategy for the period 2025-2035 based on four main pillars: reducing material and energy consumption to ecologically sustainable levels; boosting local production to meet local needs; adapting economic operations to life cycles and committing to a circular economy based on the primary sector and renewable energies; and promoting a redistribution of wealth that strengthens economic autonomy and social cohesion. Luis González, co-author of the report and member of the Garúa cooperative, pointed out that currently "most work is dedicated to tourism or related activities, such as construction, commerce, or leisure," while the primary sector and industry have a very small presence. He also emphasized the importance of recognizing and valuing community work and the often invisible or unpaid work done in households. According to the report's calculations, a "well-planned" eco-social transition could create up to 14,000 net new jobs with 35-hour workweeks, and up to 108,000 if the workweek were reduced to 30 hours. These would be jobs, says González, "in sustainable, stable sectors with better working conditions." "The eco-social transition is not a utopia, but a necessity to adapt to planetary boundaries and guarantee a dignified life for all," he argued. "It is a long-term process that will require political courage, social commitment, and planning, but it can become a great opportunity for the Islands."