Spain’s workforce is becoming increasingly international, with foreign workers reaching record levels in March.
New figures from Social Security show steady growth, highlighting the important role overseas workers continue to play in the country’s economy.
There are now 3,210,759 foreign workers (seasonally adjusted), after an increase of 234,685 over the past 12 months. In terms of average affiliation, the figure stands at 3,151,563, which is 230,358 more than in March 2025.
Spain’s increasingly international workforce
Foreign workers now account for 14.4% of all contributors to the Social Security system. Since March 2022, their number has grown by more than 852,000 people.
In fact, 42.9% of all jobs created since Spain’s labour reform have gone to foreign workers. Their annual growth rate stands at 7.9%, significantly higher than the 2.5% recorded for overall employment.
Key role across sectors
Foreign workers play an important role in several industries, particularly:
- Hospitality: 29.1% of the workforce
- Agriculture: 26.9%
- Construction: 24.3%
- Transport: 17.6%
- Administrative activities: 17.5%
They are also highly represented in specific systems, such as domestic work (42.3%) and agriculture (39.4%).
Workforce profile
Of the total:
- Around 1.8 million are men
- Nearly 1.4 million are women, representing 43% of foreign workers
- Close to 30% come from EU countries
The largest national groups are led by Morocco, followed by Romania, Colombia and Venezuela, with particularly strong growth among Venezuelan, Peruvian and Colombian workers over the past year.
More stable jobs and rising entrepreneurship
Job stability has also improved, with 88.6% of foreign workers on permanent contracts, while temporary employment has dropped to a historic low of 11.4%.
At the same time, self-employment is on the rise. Spain now has more than 506,000 foreign self-employed workers, with strong growth in sectors like IT and telecommunications.
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