Spain Adds Over Half a Million Jobs in 2025, Driven by Tourism Boom and Public Sector Growth
Spain’s labor market grew by over 500,000 jobs in 2025, led by tourism and public sector employment, alongside declining unemployment.
- • Spain added 506,451 Social Security affiliates in 2025, reaching almost 21.9 million workers.
- • The tourism sector, including transport and hospitality, was the main driver of job growth.
- • Public administration became Spain’s largest employer with significant hiring in education and healthcare.
- • Unemployment continued to fall, reaching 2,408,670, maintaining a 56-month streak of annual decreases.
Key details
Spain's labor market demonstrated robust growth in 2025, adding 506,451 new affiliates to the Social Security system and reaching nearly 21.9 million workers, according to reports. This surge was largely propelled by the tourism sector, especially in transport, hospitality, and commerce. The transportation sector alone contributed over 61,000 new jobs, fueled by both domestic and international tourism. Other industries such as auxiliary services, hospitality, commerce, and construction also saw significant employment gains.
Public sector employment expanded considerably as well, with the public administration becoming the largest employer for the first time in 2025, adding 89,436 workers primarily in education and healthcare sectors. Meanwhile, Spain’s unemployment declined steadily to 2,408,670 registered unemployed individuals, continuing a positive trend with 56 consecutive months of annual decreases.
Minister of Social Security Elma Sáiz highlighted that 90% of the new contracts were permanent, suggesting an improvement in job quality despite ongoing challenges like trade tensions and the absence of a state budget for the third consecutive year. Over the past four years, Spain has created two million jobs, although it has yet to surpass the 22 million worker threshold frequently cited by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
This growth in employment aligns with Spain's broader economic ascent, as the country has reclaimed its position as the 12th largest economy globally. Yet, despite gains in GDP and employment, real wages have yet to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels, underscoring a complex economic recovery. Nevertheless, Spain's labor market momentum in 2025 underscores the pivotal role of tourism and public sector expansion in driving economic resilience and job creation.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
