Spain continues to attract a significant number of foreign workers, with the total reaching 2,712,113 in December 2023, according to the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. This number surpasses the pre-pandemic level by more than half a million workers, signaling a strong recovery.
The data from the Ministry indicates that the number of international workers in Spain has been steadily increasing since February 2020, before the impact of the pandemic. Compared to November, the number of international workers increased by 12,839. In addition, the number of foreign workers increased by 8.5 per cent in 2023, adding 208,057 compared to 2022.
The report also reveals that the highest number of foreign workers are from third countries, accounting for 67.7 per cent, with the remaining 32.3 per cent coming from European countries. The top five countries with the highest number of citizens working in Spain are Romania, Morocco, Italy, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Interestingly, there has been a 40.1 per cent increase in the number of Ukrainian workers since the war began, with a total of 66,235 workers from Ukraine currently in Spain. The majority of these workers are in the General Regime, with 87 per cent being salaried and 13 per cent being self-employed.
Despite the overall increase in foreign workers, certain sectors experienced fluctuations. While the Agriculture and Special Agricultural Systems sectors saw an increase in workers, the Construction and Hospitality sectors saw a decrease. This data indicates the evolving landscape of foreign labor in Spain.
The report also highlights that Catalonia, the Community of Madrid, and Extremadura registered the highest number of foreign workers. However, despite this influx of foreign workers, Spain continues to report labor shortages and job vacancies, with sectors such as information and communication technologies, healthcare, construction, and hospitality experiencing the highest shortages in 2023.
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