Record-Breaking 2.7 Million Foreigners Registered Working in Spain in December 2023

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Spain recorded over 2.7 million foreign workers in December 2023, exceeding 2019 numbers.
• Most foreign workers in Spain are from Romania, Morocco, Italy, Columbia and Venezuela.
• Since January 2022, the number of Ukrainian workers increased by 40.1 per cent.

The number of foreigners working in Spain in December 2023 reached 2,712,113, as the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration revealed.

Such a figure surpassed the pre-pandemic level by more than half a million workers.

Since February 2020, before the impact of the pandemic, the system has recorded an increase of 522,692 workers from other countries.

Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration

Compared to November, the number of international workers increased by 12,839. Whereas compared to 2022, the number of foreign workers increased by 8.5 per cent in 2023, adding 208,057.

The ministry further revealed that the highest number of foreign workers are from third countries (67.7 per cent), and the remaining come from European countries (32.3 per cent).

The top five countries with the highest number of citizens working in Spain are as follows:

• Romania (333,334)
• Morocco (323,143)
• Italy (175,743)
• Colombia (175,570)
• Venezuela (148,928)

Of those, 56.1 per cent are men and 43.9 per cent are women.

40% More Ukrainian Workers Since the War Started in Ukraine

In addition to other nationalities, 66,235 workers are from Ukraine. Spanish authorities point out that the number of Ukrainian workers had increased by 40.1 per cent since the war began.

More specifically, there are 18,976 more workers now compared to January 2022.

The majority of workers from Ukraine, around 87 per cent, are in the General Regime (they are salaried) and 13 per cent are self-employed.

Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration

In general, 83.7 per cent of foreign workers are categorised under the General Regime, with over 2.2 million workers. As per sectors, Agriculture and Special Agricultural Systems experienced an increase in workers, with 1.9 per cent and 2.2 per cent, respectively.

On the other hand, sectors such as Construction and Hospitality saw a decrease, with -1.7 per cent and -1.6 per cent, respectively.

The number of foreign workers who fell under the Self-Employment Regime accounted for 431,696. Of those, 14.4 per cent are from China, 10.9 per cent from Romania, and nine per cent from Italy.

As per regions, Catalonia, the Community of Madrid, and Extremadura registered the highest number of foreign workers.

Despite this record number of foreign workers, Spain reported labour shortages and job vacancies throughout 2023.

In September last year, 143,868 job vacancies were registered in Spain, whereas the sectors that experienced the highest shortages were information and communication technologies, healthcare, construction, and hospitality.