Labour market information: Spain

Spain is situated in the south-western corner of the European continent and extends to more than half a million km². It is the fourth most populous country in the European Union with a population of over 47 million, 85 % of whom are Spanish nationals. In relative terms, the population has grown year on year due to negative net population growth offset by a positive migration balance. The number of Spanish nationals underwent a slight decline at the beginning of 2022 but a rise was recorded in the number of non-nationals, both EU and non-EU nationals. The highest number of non-nationals registered in the EU population register were Romanians, Italians and Germans. Whereas the largest numbers of non-EU nationals were from Morocco, Colombia and the United Kingdom. The largest increases over the last year occurred among citizens of Colombia, Italy and Venezuela, and the largest decreases occurred amongst those from Romania, China and Brazil.

The Spanish economy is the fourth largest in the European Union and the 14th largest in the world in terms of nominal gross domestic product (GDP). It is in an expansionary phase, with significant growth in GDP rates driven mainly by domestic demand and the external sector. The macroeconomic scenario accompanying the General State Budget is based on GDP growth of 4.4 % in 2022 with projected growth of 2.1 % in 2023. In a scenario of slower growth in the European economy, Spain will maintain levels above the average for the euro area and the main developed countries, in line with the estimates drafted by the main national and international organisations. The growth forecast for this year is based on the encouraging performance of the labour market, healthy growth in the external sector and a rise in investment due to the implementation of the Recovery Plan. In 2023, the unemployment rate is expected to continue its downward trend, falling to 12.8 %.

The positive trend has made it possible for more than one million permanent jobs to be created in Spain over the last year, five times more than before the recent labour reform. Since the approval of this reform, the labour market has been converging rapidly towards the European average, due to a reduction in the high rate of temporary employment and unemployment, especially youth unemployment: the lowest youth unemployment in history was recorded in September. Beyond the expected short-term and medium-term developments, the main challenges and vulnerabilities in the Spanish labour market include the gradually ageing population, the high unemployment rate – especially among young people and those over 55 – and the high percentage of long-term unemployed.

The most recent data collected in the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE) as at 1 January 2022 and published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) indicates that the number of active businesses rose by 1.9 % in 2021, to 3.43 million. From an employment standpoint, Spain’s business structure is highly fragmented, consisting of small business units. In fact, 8 out of every 10 companies in Spain have 2 employees or fewer. The majority of small businesses are in the services sector, especially in trade. In contrast, most large companies operate in the industrial sector. Moreover, a significant number of large companies are major international players in sectors related to infrastructure development, renewable energy, tourism, banking, insurance, the textile industry, health technology, aeronautics, the agri-food sector and the automotive industry.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service in Spain, the 2022 employment balance was positive: the year ended with more employed and affiliated workers than before the pandemic and with a fall in unemployment. The unemployment rate for the fourth quarter stood at 12.87 %: 2007 was the last year with lower unemployed numbers in the month of December.

The number of affiliated workers increased in all sectors, with the exception of the primary sector, which showed a decrease of 3.07 %. The largest increases were again in construction and services, with above-average increases, and to a lesser extent in industry. The economic activity sectors that drove the improvement in the labour market during the year were: Food and beverage services, Programming, consultancy and other IT-related activities, Education, Health activities, Public administration and defence, Compulsory social security, Specialised construction activities and Accommodation services.

Registered unemployment continued to decline in 2022 and the year ended with 2.84 million unemployed jobseekers, 8.64 % fewer than in 2021. Above-average declines were recorded among men, and people under 30. Long-term unemployment stood at 42.62 %, after a reduction of seven percentage points. Its incidence is higher among women and those over 45 years of age. The typical unemployed person's profile is still predominantly female, aged 55 or over, not educated beyond Compulsory Secondary Education level, seeking employment in the services sector and registered as unemployed for more than six months.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service in Spain, the economic recovery is exposing labour shortages in some economic activities. This may be due to the acceleration of certain changes linked to the digitalisation of the economy or due to other factors such as an ageing population, lack of generational replacement or lack of interest among young people in traditional occupations due to the working conditions.

According to information from the National Statistics Institute (INE), in the fourth quarter of 2022, companies estimated that they had 140 517 job vacancies, which were almost exclusively concentrated in the services sector. However, according to Eurostat data, Spain is one of the countries with the lowest rates of available employment in Europe.

The most difficult vacancies to fill are mainly those related to information and communication technologies (ICT) - especially STEM professionals - as well as in renewable energies, Healthcare, Hospitality, Construction, Fishing and Metal Repairs. However, there are also many vacancies in lower-skilled professions in the same sectors.

As regards job types, technological roles such as data analysts, computer engineers, engineers with expertise in renewable energy, big data and IT security technicians and experts in business intelligence and data mining have become increasingly hard to fill in the last year. Depending on the seasons and areas, shortages have been recorded for plumbers, bricklayers and carpenters in construction, nurses, health care assistants and technical specialists in health care, waiters and cooks in hospitality, truck drivers and forklift drivers in transport.

The biggest problem at present is the shortage of medium-skilled staff, which corresponds to vocational training qualifications at intermediate and higher levels, especially in the fields of transport and vehicle maintenance and health care.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service, the health crisis is having a big impact on the labour market. While the scale of the impact is unknown, it is already clear that it will leave its mark on the structure and functioning of the labour market and on the required job profiles. Reskilling will be necessary for new jobs. The number of job applications being registered with the public employment services is currently still too high for it to be possible to find jobs for all these applicants.

In general, the number of jobseekers in low-skilled occupations remains high compared to the number of job vacancies registered with the public employment services. Thus, in the industrial sector these characteristics coincide with those of manufacturing labourers and freight handlers, in the services sector with office cleaners and helpers, shop sales assistants, manufacturing labourers, clerical support workers, waiters, construction labourers, freight handlers and cashiers and ticket clerks.

Andalusia is located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in the southernmost part of the European continent. It borders the autonomous communities of Extremadura and Castile-La Mancha to the north, and Murcia to the east, the Alborán Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and Portugal to the west. It consists of eight provinces (Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville). Andalusia is Spain’s second-largest autonomous community (87 597 km²) and has the largest population as at 1 January 2022, with 8 500 187 inhabitants. Its population density is 97.04 inhabitants/km² and its population grew by 0.33 % compared to the previous year. The most populous provinces are Seville, Málaga and Cádiz. Andalusia is home to 741 378 foreign residents, accounting for 8.72 % of the population and representing a 4.14 % year-on-year increase.

According to data from the Central Directory of Companies of the National Statistics Institute (DIRCE, as at 1 January 2022) the business community of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia comprised 545 502 registered companies, 55.40 % of which had no employees (302 214). Of the total number of companies with paid workers (243 288), 91.39 % have fewer than 9 workers and 7.47 % have between 10 and 49 workers, reflecting the predominance of small businesses. The economic activities in which the largest numbers of companies operate are: retail, except motorcycles and other motor vehicles; food and beverage services; building construction; wholesale, except motorcycles and other motor vehicles; property activities; and health activities. The largest companies include: Endesa Generación, Bida Farma and Atlantic Copper, which occupy the top positions among the strongest companies. By provinces, the companies with the highest turnover are the following: Cosentino Group, Unica Group and FJ Sánchez Sucesores in Almería; APM Terminals Algeciras, Osborne Group and Iberinox Recycling Plus in Cádiz; Cunext Copper Industries, Deoleo Global and SCA Ganadera del Valle de los Pedroches in Córdoba; Bida Farma, Lactalis Puleva and Coviran in Granada; Atlantic Copper, Minas de Aguas Teñidas and Atalaya Riotinto Minera in Huelva; Aceites del Sur-Coosur, Petroprix Energía and Grupo Alvic FR Mobiliario in Jaén; China Red, Compañía Logistica Acotral and Mercaoleo in Málaga; and Endesa Generación, Bida Farma and Heineken España in Seville.

According to data published by the National Statistics Institute (Spanish Regional Accounts), the Autonomous Community of Andalusia contributes 13.3 % of Spanish GDP. The services sector is the autonomous community’s predominant economic activity, followed by industry, agriculture and construction. The first estimate of Andalusian gross domestic product for 2021 indicated a 5.5 % increase over 2020 in terms of volume, the same as for Spain as a whole. Gross domestic product per capita in 2021 was EUR 18 906, 7.8 % higher than the previous year and 25.85 % less than the national average.

According to Andalusian Regional Accounts for the fourth quarter, the balance for 2022 in Andalusia was real GDP growth of 5.2 %, three tenths of a percentage point below that of Spain (5.5 %). Compared with the European environment, the growth of the Andalusian economy in 2022 largely exceeded the average for the euro area (3.5 % according to Eurostat) and the EU (3.6 %), which contributed to the convergence process. Moreover, this was achieved at a time of economic crisis brought about by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, high inflation and drought. Estimates by Analistas Económicos de Andalucía suggest a moderation of Andalusian GDP growth to 1.6 % in 2023, and a 1.3 % increase in employment, in a context of high uncertainty in which the risk of recession for the main world economies has increased.

According to the latest Labour Force Survey (LFS) data for the fourth quarter of 2022, of the total population aged 16 and over in Andalusia (7 138 700), 4 026 100 are economically active, with 81 % employed and 19 % unemployed. The unemployment rate in Andalusia (19.00 %) is among the highest in Spain, exceeded only by the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. The figure for women is 21.96 % and for men it is 16.45 %. The provinces of Cádiz, Huelva and Granada have the highest unemployment rates in this autonomous community, while Almería and Seville have the lowest rates.

According to data from social security records, in December 2022 the number of registered workers increased by 102 347 in comparison with the same month of the previous year. An increase was recorded in the number of workers registered in the General Scheme and in the Special Scheme for Self-Employed Workers, while a decrease was recorded in the number registered in the Special Agricultural and Household Employees' Systems.

The registered number of unemployed in Andalusia in December 2022 was 727 097 people, 7.45 % less than the same month of the previous year. Unemployed foreign workers accounted for 7.64 %. The number of employment contracts concluded in 2022 was 4 069 741. This is a 11.30 % decrease over the previous year, and is mainly due to the services sector; foreign workers accounted for 15.99 % of the contracts issued in Andalusia. The percentages of contracts finalised in Huelva and Almería were particularly high, with 39.54 % and 38.75 %, respectively.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service, economic activities in hotels and catering and those linked to the tourism sector, such as passenger transport, travel agencies and tour operators, as well as performances, museums and other cultural activities, which have been the most affected by the pandemic, started to pick up once restrictions in Spain and in the tourists’ countries of origin were lifted.

The decline in unemployed jobseekers (despite a general decrease in recruitment throughout all economic sectors compared to 2022) indicates that workers directly affected by the impact of the pandemic in the short-term and medium-term have re-entered the labour market. Nevertheless, there is some difficulty in finding workers in the health sector, whether due to a shortage of professionals, a lack of public funding or the precarious nature of the contracts. The technology sector requires staff who are highly qualified in technical skills to fill the newly-created vacancies planned with the forthcoming establishment of large hubs of telecommunications companies, network services and logistics centres.

There is, in principle, a greater difficulty in filling vacancies for the following occupational groups in Andalusia:

• general medical practitioners
• nursing professionals
• systems analysts
• web and multimedia developers
• bricklayers and related workers
• cooks
• heavy truck and lorry drivers

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service, the categories of occupations with the highest percentages of unemployed people are those requiring average or basic qualifications.

Below is a list of the occupational groups in which there is a surplus of workers:

• cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
• clerical support workers not elsewhere classified
• gardeners, horticultural and nursery growers
• building caretakers
• shop sales assistants
• painters and decorators
• sweepers and related labourers
• messengers, package deliverers and luggage porters

The Autonomous Community of Aragon, situated in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula and bordering France, is made up of the provinces of Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza. It is the fourth largest autonomous community in Spain in terms of area (47 720 km²). According to data compiled by the INE from the municipal population registers, in early 2022 it had 1 326 315 inhabitants and a population density of nearly 28 inhabitants per km². This makes it one of the most sparsely populated autonomous communities in Spain, well below the national average of 93 inhabitants per km². The population is spread among 731 municipalities, of which just over a quarter have over 500 inhabitants. Over half of the population lives in Zaragoza. In addition to being a sparsely-populated region, it has an ageing population and a high dependency rate. The population level has been maintained since 2017 with slight increases, especially due to the contribution of immigration. The minimum increase in the last year was specifically due to the arrival of non-nationals in the community, which compensated for the loss of the national population. Currently, the foreign population accounts for 12.42 % and the largest number of non-nationals are from Romania, Morocco, Nicaragua, Colombia and China.

According to estimates from the Aragon Institute for Statistics, Aragon’s GDP grew year on year by 2.2 % in the fourth quarter of 2022. This growth is five tenths lower than that recorded for Spain as a whole (2.7 % per annum), and is higher than that of the euro area (1.8 % per annum). Estimates by the Government of the Autonomous Community of Aragon forecast GDP growth of 2.1 % for 2023.

According to the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE), in 2022 the number of businesses trading fell by 0.87 % to 89 376. Of these, 70 % were in the services sector, more than half had no employees on the payroll and approximately 45 % had between 1 and 49 employees. Among the larger companies, there are 704 with between 50 and 1 000 employees and 24 with more than 1 000 employees.

Aragon is one of the largest industrial centres in Spain and has made progress in recent years towards some sectoral diversification. The automotive industry is a major player in the region, in which more than 350 companies from this sector are present and one third of regional exports depend on it. At the same time, with almost 1 000 businesses in Aragon, the agri-food sector is the second largest industrial sector in terms of turnover and employment, accounting for more than 10 % of GDP. In addition to these sectors, logistics, tourism and renewable energy contribute to the industry in this region. The head offices of industrial companies in various sectors, such as construction machinery, agricultural machinery, paper, metallurgy, electronics and chemicals, are also located in Aragon.

The region’s largest companies are located in the province of Zaragoza. Opel España, with more than 5 000 workers, is the largest company and various ancillary companies depend on it. Other companies of note in this province are paper manufacturer SAICA, Alliance Healthcare (distributor of pharmaceuticals), Simply supermarkets, Pikolín (mattress and mattress base manufacturer), Inditex (textile manufacturing and marketing), and BSH (domestic appliances). In Teruel, companies of note include UTISA, part of the FINSA group (manufacture of veneer sheets and wood panels), Ronal Ibérica SAU (tyres and bath screens), Casting Ros (automotive components) and the Térvalis group (which is involved in a growing number of activities, including: plant nutrition, animal nutrition, logistics, food, sustainable energy and agrotourism); Arco Iris Group (a cooperative located in Matarraña and dedicated to livestock production, industrialisation and the sale of food by-products) and Tarmac Aragón S.L. (aircraft repair and maintenance). Huesca is home to the pharmaceutical company Bieffe Medital (Baxter group), Becton Dickinson (clinical equipment) and Ercros (chemicals). The primary and agri-food sector is a key industry in this province, especially Litera Meat and Fribin (meat processing) and Piensos Costa, Mazana Piensos Compuestos, Cincaporc and Agropienso (fodder).

Due to the region’s geographical location, logistics is a key industry in Aragon. Aragon has logistics hubs in Zaragoza (Plaza, the biggest goods and transport hub in southern Europe), Huesca (Plhus), Teruel (Platea), Fraga (PlFraga) and Monzón, as well as the Zaragoza Maritime Terminal (TMZ). The establishment of the new logistics platform La Melusa-Tamarite is expected to create 2 000 direct jobs when it reaches its full occupancy. Aragon also has the second busiest Spanish airport in terms of cargo (Zaragoza) and the biggest airport in Spain and in Europe for parking, maintenance and reuse of aircraft (Teruel), which is in the process of growing.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service, the economic recovery is revealing the labour shortages that exist in some economic activities, either due to the acceleration of certain changes linked to the digitalisation of the economy or renewable energy, or due to other factors such as an ageing population, lack of generational renewal or scant interest among young people in traditional occupations due to working conditions, among other reasons.

This is the case in the agricultural sector, in occupations for which labour is required on a seasonal basis, in the logistics sector where forklift operators and distributors are required, the services sector, where a lack of qualified staff to provide care in residences, specialised doctors and nurses and hospital nursing assistants has been identified. Difficulties have also arisen filling teaching vacancies in certain technical subjects and in vocational training. For green jobs, there are difficulties in filling vacancies for photovoltaic panel installers.

In order to be able to cope with the building works that need to be implemented with European funds from various business and training fields, the construction sector is reporting a lack of bricklayers, electricians, crane operators, foremen, construction managers and civil engineers. In the field of transport, the lack of lorry drivers is another of the shortages that is generally making itself felt in the logistics sector.

Similarly, in the production system as a whole, technological profiles such as data analysts, computer engineers, engineers with expertise in renewable energy (wind farms, photovoltaic systems), and big data and IT security technicians and experts in business intelligence and data mining have become increasingly lacking in the last year.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service, the number of jobseekers exceeds the number of vacancies in low-skilled occupations.

In the industrial sector this applies to manufacturing labourers, and in the services sector it applies to waiters, cleaners, office assistants, administrative support staff, household cleaners, receptionists and shelf stackers.

The Principality of Asturias is located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. It covers 10 603.57 km² and, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), it has 1 004 686 inhabitants, with a year-on-year fall of 0.70 %. The population density is 94.75 inhabitants/km², mainly concentrated in the central area. The population is ageing, with over-65s accounting for 27.15 % of the total population. The under-20s make up 14.37 %. The 45 630 non-nationals living in Asturias represent 4.54 % of the total population, with more than half (53.86 %) being women.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, 445 500 people were active and 381 400 were employed, with an activity rate of 50.45 %. The unemployment rate stands at 14.39 %. By gender, men represent 33 % and women 31.10 %.

The business structure according to INE data (DIRCE 2022) consists of 68 068 companies, of which 38 236 have employees. The number of companies grew by 0.73 % compared to last year. Companies with under 50 workers make up 77.06 % of the total. The services sector accounts for 83.13 % of the total, followed by construction (11.88 %) and industry (4.98 %). Companies such as Alimerka, ArcelorMittal, Lacera, Hijos de Luis Rodríguez (Masymas), Daorje, Azvase, Corporación Alimentaria Peñasanta, Gerusia, Imasa Ingeniería y Proyectos and Hulleras del Norte (Hunosa) are major employers.

According to the latest estimated data from the INE, Asturias’ gross domestic product (GDP) was 5.5 %. The contribution of the services sector to GDP is 83.00 %, construction 11.90 % and industry 5.10 % (2021 data).

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service (SEPE), the number of recruitments in 2022 was 282 234, a decrease of 20 409 (6.74 % down) on the same period of the previous year. The recruitment of women amounts to 51.07 % of the total. Some 31.15 % of contracts were permanent (87 915). The 9.44 % which corresponds to non-nationals hired was up 3.06 % on the previous year. These contracts were mainly in the services sector, food and beverage businesses and retail trade.

By sector, recruitment figures were highest in the services sector (83.27 %), particularly in hotel and restaurant services, trade, building services and gardening, care in residential establishments and transport and warehousing. Construction accounts for 6.42 %, mainly in specialised construction activities. The proportion employed in industry stood at 5.33 %, mainly in food industries; manufacture of metal products (except machinery and equipment); metallurgy (manufacture of iron, steel and ferroalloy products); manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products; waste collection, treatment and disposal; repair and installation of machinery and equipment. The agricultural sector accounts for 4.36 % of hirings, mainly in agriculture, livestock farming, hunting and related services.

The 10 occupations with the highest number of contracts are: waiters; cleaners in offices, hotels and other establishments; shop salespersons; health care assistants; manufacturing labourers; kitchen helpers. fitness and recreation instructors and programme leaders; cooks; craft and related trades workers; domestic cleaners and helpers.

Foreign persons are mainly employed in service-related occupations: salaried waiters; kitchen helpers and cooks; office and hotel cleaners and domestic employees.

Unemployed jobseekers in December 2022 stood at 61 887 (56.95 % women and 43.05 % men), a decrease of 4.49 % on the previous year. The following economic activities registered the strongest demand in each sector: food and beverage services; retail trade; public administration and defence; building services, gardening activities and the service sector. food industry; manufacture of metal products, in the industrial sector. specialised construction and building construction activities, in the construction sector. agriculture, livestock farming, hunting and related activities, in the agricultural sector.

The jobs most sought after by the unemployed are: shop salespersons; cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments; manufacturing labourers; administrative support staff; salaried waiters; construction labourers; and cashiers and ticket clerks. Unemployed non-nationals are looking for jobs such as cleaners, shop salespersons, salaried waiters and cooks, manufacturing and construction labourers, domestic workers and kitchen helpers.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service, the 10 economic activities with the best employment prospects for the year 2023 would be: Repair and installation of machinery and equipment; Health activities; Environmental management consulting activities; Sports, recreation and entertainment activities; Other professional, scientific and technical activities; Construction of buildings; Real estate activities; Creation, arts and entertainment activities.

The occupations in which the greatest recruitment opportunities have been identified in 2023 are the following:

• craft and related trades workers;
• tool manufacturing workers;
• mechanic-fitters, tool and die makers and related trades;
• metal production process control technicians;
• bricklayers and related workers;
• salaried lorry drivers;
• salaried waiters;
• shop salespersons;
• domestic workers;
• kitchen helpers;
• nursing assistants;
• domestic care workers;
• recreation and entertainment monitors;
• remote operators.

More information can be found under the heading ‘Desajuste entre la oferta y la demanda de empleo (Mismatch between labour supply and demand)’ of the Annual Labour Market Report for Asturias, published on the SEPE website: https://www.sepe.es/HomeSepe/que-es-el-sepe/que-es-observatorio/informe…

According to the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service, most of the occupations in which demand exceeds the supply of jobs are those requiring fewer qualifications (labourers, administrative assistants, clerical support workers, etc.). Demand remains high in hospitality, commerce and construction activities, as well as in metal and transport.

The most significant occupations where demand for employment exceeds supply are as follows:

• administrative employees without front-office duties
• shelf stackers
• cashiers and ticket clerks (except banks)
• receptionists (except in hotels)
• building caretakers
• garden, horticultural and nursery labourers
• building construction labourers
• civil engineering labourers

The Canary Islands are an archipelago situated in the Atlantic Ocean. They make up one of the 17 Spanish autonomous communities and are one of the European Union’s outermost regions. The coordinates of the islands are north latitude 27°37’ and 29°25’ and west longitude 13°20’ and 18°10’. They are situated just over 1 200 km from the Iberian Peninsula and just over 2 000 km from the Spanish capital.

The autonomous community has two provinces: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, towards the west, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, situated to the east. Santa Cruz de Tenerife comprises the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma. Las Palmas comprises Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. In administrative terms, the island of La Graciosa can be added to the seven islands mentioned, but it does not have its own administration.

The region has an area of 7 447.00 km², 2 177 701 inhabitants on 1 January 2022 and a population density of 292.42 inhabitants per square kilometre. This autonomous community ranks eighth in Spain in terms of population.

The population of the Canary Islands has increased by 0.22 % since 2021. Over the last 5 years it has increased by 2.35 %.

Some 288 489 non-nationals reside in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, accounting for 13.25 % of the total population. The countries of origin that each have more than 13 000 inhabitants living in the Canary Islands are, in descending order: Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Venezuela, Morocco, Colombia and Cuba.

The business structure in the Canary Islands is based on small and medium-sized enterprises. According to data from the Central Directory of Companies of the National Statistics Institute (DIRCE, as at 1 January 2022), the business community comprises 151 846 registered companies, of which 57.80 % (87 765) have no salaried employees, 34.33 % (52 139) have five workers or fewer and 7.90 % (11 942) have more than five employees. Only 16 registered companies have more than 1 000 workers and only 3 of these employ more than 5 000 people.

The energy, tourism, food, pharmaceutical and transport and logistics sectors are at the forefront of business turnover in the Canary Islands. According to the ranking of companies at national level, published by ‘El Economista.es’, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the main ones are: Grupo Disa, Prodalca España S.A, COFARTE, SC, as well as transport and tourism companies such as Fred Olsen, Veturis Travel S.A, Alisios Tours S.L. and VacationSpot S.L. In the province of Las Palmas, Dinosol Supermercados S.L, Cooperativa Farmacéutica Canaria, Sartón Canarias and Domingo Alonso S.L, together with transport and logistics companies: Binter Canarias S.A, Naviera Armas S.A and Boluda Lines S.A.

According to Labour Force Survey (LFS) data from the fourth quarter of 2022, of the total population aged 16 and over in the Canary Islands (1 962 600), 1 159 800 are economically active, of whom 990 800 are employed and 169 000 unemployed. The unemployment rate was 14.57 %, 7.70 percentage points above the national average, giving the Canary Islands the fifth highest unemployment rate, still trailing the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. By province, the unemployment rate was 16.01 % in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and stood at 13.28 % in Las Palmas. The activity rate reached 59.09 %, a little over one percentage point above the national average (58.52 %).

The number of registered employed in the Canary Islands in December 2022 was 872 358, 6.56 % more than in 2021, and represents 4.33 % of the total number of registered employed at national level. The employment rate for men is 52.18 %. For women, it stands at 47.82 %.

According to the INE (statistics on travellers and nights spent in tourist areas), 9 889 162 travellers visited the Canary Islands in 2022, a 29.90 % rise compared to 2021 and 1.20 % more than in the pre-pandemic year of 2019. The majority of the foreign tourists came from the United Kingdom and Germany, although domestic tourism was also significant. The islands with the greatest number of tourist visits are Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service, in December 2022 there were 183 160 unemployed persons in the Canary Islands (9.69 % fewer than in the same month in 2021), accounting for 6.50 % of the total number of unemployed in Spain. Of these, 79 700 were men and 89 400 were women. Some 35.32 % were engaged in the services sector, 59.05 % had not worked before, 3.14 % were in construction, 1.20 % were in industry and 1.40 % in agriculture. Compared to December 2021, significant declines were recorded in all economic sectors except the services sector. The rate of unemployed non-nationals stands at 9.26 %.

The number of hirings recorded in 2022 was 754 059 (24.13 % more than the same month in 2021), representing 4.12 % of the total number of hirings at national level. The rate of foreign hirings stands at 18.41 %.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service, the occupations employing the most people (more than ten thousand per year) are those with very low qualification requirements and a high turnover in recruitment. Some of them (waiters, cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments and construction labourers) are also on the list of over-subscribed jobs.

Apart from frequent recruitment for low-skilled positions, the Canary Islands tourism sector requires specialised and highly qualified staff for high-end hotels. Linked to this sector, specialised construction activities need technical metal workers, such as welders and flame cutters, airport handling staff and drivers.

Activities related to the social and health sector also require family doctors and home-based personal care workers.

Finally, the Canary Islands are becoming a very important location for filming activities by major international producers, generating a demand for specialised staff in this sector.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service, the highest number of unemployed persons (more than 20 000 per occupation) in December 2022 were registered in the following occupations:

• shop sales assistants
•  cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
•  garden and horticultural labourers
•  manufacturing labourers not elsewhere classified
•  waiters
•  clerical support workers not elsewhere classified
•  civil engineering labourers
•  crop farm labourers
•  forestry labourers
•  building construction labourers
•  shelf stackers

The data show that these are jobs requiring a lower level of professional qualifications.

The Autonomous Community of Cantabria, located in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula’s northern coast, covers 5 321 km² and has 284 km of coastline along the Cantabrian Sea. According to recent data from the municipal population register, 585 402 people reside in Cantabria, marking a small increase (0.15 %) in line with the trend for the Kingdom of Spain as a whole, for which the increase stands at 0.19 %. The average age is 45 and life expectancy is 84. 51.5 % of the population are women and 48.5 % are men. The population density is 110 inhabitants/km². In terms of the origin of the population, three quarters are from the region itself and, of the remaining quarter, two out of every three are from other parts of Spain. The rest were born abroad, mostly in Europe and Latin America.

The bulk of the population, and hence economic activity, is found on the coast, particularly the east coast, along what is known as the ‘Arc and extension of the Bay of Biscay’, which encompasses Santander and Torrelavega and their outskirts as the main conurbations, the former known for its services sector and the latter for its traditional industry. The coast features a mild, temperate Atlantic climate with moderate day/night temperature fluctuations and average annual temperatures of approximately 17°C, precipitation of around 1 200 l/m² and over 1 600 hours of sun. Inland, the climate is more moderate and continental. Additional data supplementing the census show that 70 % of commutes from home to work – by any means including walking – take under 20 minutes, bringing us more into line with the ‘15 minutes’ commitment.

The economic recovery was consolidated during 2022 and, to a large extent, marked an end to the previous two years’ pandemic effect. The major national economic indicators were encouraging for the year, especially when compared to 2020, but this should not be interpreted as an overall, even recovery to pre-pandemic levels. The Autonomous Community of Cantabria, which represents around 1.15 % of national GDP, is caught up in this positive trend. It is also on track to end the year with increases close to those of Spain as a whole, between 4 and 5 percentage points of year-on-year GDP growth, though this remains to be confirmed. The outlook is rosy for economic sectors, with services, construction and industry leading the recovery. The activities leading the growth include trade, transport, hotels and catering, information and communications, construction and, to a lesser extent, those related to industry and energy or the primary sector, which is quite limited in this community. Per capita income in Cantabria and in Spain as a whole has recovered after the major setback caused by the pandemic, standing at EUR 23 730 and EUR 25 498, respectively, in 2021 (the latest year for which figures are available).

The most recent update of the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE) shows a total of 38 960 companies in Cantabria, with 44 758 active premises or places of business. Cantabria’s business structure is highly fragmented. In fact, slightly more than half of the companies have no employees and of those that do, 83 % are in the band with fewer than six; companies with over 50 workers account for only 1.4 % of the total number of companies. The most common legal forms of companies are sole trader and limited company (SL). Quantitatively, the region’s main economic activities are retail and wholesale trade, construction of buildings and their specialities, food and beverage services, land transport, real estate activities, personal services, health activities, education, legal and accounting activities, and technical architectural and engineering services, which account for almost three quarters of active enterprises. The number of people paying contributions to the public social security system (221 978) as at 31 December 2022 had increased by 2.39 % compared with the same month of the previous year.

The consolidation in recovery recorded in 2022 was reflected in the Cantabrian labour market, despite the strong impact of the multiple crises that afflict the economy on a permanent basis. The recovery is evident in the estimates of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the data provided by the various public registers, especially the Ministry of Labour and the Social Economy and the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. The following major employment indicators serve as examples: a rise in the number of those registered as working (2.39 %) and, consequently, a reduction in the number of unemployed persons (9.04 %). The LFS data on Cantabria for the fourth quarter of 2022 show that the activity rate was 54.26 %, and the unemployment rate was 10.34 %, whereas the national figures were 58.52 % and 12.87 %, respectively.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service, in Cantabria the demand for employment is greater than the supply. The crises of different kinds affecting the labour market have left a large number of people unemployed. Many have not yet returned to work. In many cases the unemployment is structural and long-term, with workers affected by low or very low employability.

However, it is much more difficult to find professionals to fill job vacancies for a few specific occupations. This is a result of different kinds of obstacles, such as a lack of professionals with the necessary occupational profile, strong seasonal demand, poor attitude towards work, geographical and functional mobility, acceptance thresholds, labour conditions, etc. This combination of circumstances gives rise to situations in which workers are difficult to find. Thus, some economic activities in Cantabria currently struggle to find suitable candidates to fill job vacancies. These include health-related jobs in general, qualified construction staff, technical profiles in the metal and wood industries, lorry drivers (especially international) and qualified information and communication technology professionals. Self-starters in all those fields would be very welcome.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service in Cantabria, the impact of the various crises on the labour market has triggered significant transformations in the structure and functioning of the labour market, and especially in job profiles needing updated skills.

The ratio of labour supply to demand continues to be very unbalanced in most sectors and occupations. This has led to a surplus of job applications being registered with the public employment services, applications which remain impossible to match with vacancies. Unemployed people looking for vacancies mostly find low-skilled or medium-skilled jobs, even though these are temporary and/or seasonal.

The following is a rank-order list of the main occupational groups/sectors with an excess of unemployed workers in the Autonomous Community of Cantabria:

• shop sales assistants
• cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
• manufacturing industry labourers n.e.c.
• clerical support workers n.e.c.
• waiters
• forestry labourers
• cashiers and ticket clerks
• shelf stackers
• building construction labourers
• gardeners, horticultural and nursery growers
• garden and horticultural labourers
• civil engineering labourers
• receptionists (general)
• freight handlers
• car, taxi and van drivers
• building caretakers
• cooks
• fitness and recreation instructors and programme leaders
• domestic cleaners and helpers
• administrative and executive secretaries

Castile and Leon, located in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula, is the region with the largest area in Spain and the third largest in the European Union with 94 224 km². It is organised administratively into nine provinces and 2 248 municipalities. It shares borders with 9 of Spain's 17 autonomous communities. This makes it a communication hub linking many Spanish regions.

According to municipal population register figures available on 1 January 2022, the autonomous community had 2 372 640 registered residents, 10 499 fewer than on the same date in 2021. Some 26.22 % of the population was over 65 years old and the number of non-nationals was 146 655, equivalent to 6.18 % of the community's total population. Of the non-nationals, more than 57 000 were from European Union countries, over 33 000 from South America and just over 30 000 from the African continent.

In 2022, the Central Directory of Companies registered 157 730 companies in Castile and Leon, of which 83.48 % had fewer than three employees. One hundred and thirty-six employed more than 250 people, ten more than in the previous year.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of Castile and Leon amounted to EUR 58 119 051 in 2021, after experiencing growth of 6 % compared to the previous year. This accounted for 4.82 % of the national figure according to advance data from INE; the gross value added by sectors is distributed according to the following percentages: services (67.33 %), industry (21.26 %), construction (5.94 %) and agriculture (5.47 %). Although the GDP per capita of this autonomous community rose by EUR 1 503 in 2021 compared to the previous year, reaching EUR 24 428, it is still lower than that of Spain (EUR 25 498) and ranks eighth among the 17 communities.

According to the Labour Costs Survey conducted by the INE in the fourth quarter of 2022, there were 140 517 job vacancies in Spain, of which 12 015 were in Castile and Leon, mainly in the services sector. The wage cost per employee per month in the community was EUR 2115.35, which was EUR 2268.00 lower than the national cost for the same period. The hourly wage cost was EUR 17.28, compared to the national average of EUR 17.83.

The active population of Castile and Leon in the fourth quarter of 2022 stood at 1 112 600. The employed population was 1 014 300 and the number of unemployed was 98 300. Within the employed population, 71.52 % work in the service sector, 15.62 % in industry, 6.57 % in construction and 6.30 % in agriculture. The annual variation rate of employment in the autonomous community in the fourth quarter of 2022 was 2.60 %, thus exceeding the national rate of change, which was a rise of 1.38 %.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the fourth quarter of 2022 showed an unemployment rate of 8.83 % in the autonomous community, remaining lower than the unemployment rate of 12.87 % for Spain as a whole. The rate for women was 10.02%, compared to a rate of 7.79% for men.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) on 31 December 2022, Castile and Leon registered 121 999 unemployed, which represents a decrease of 5.26 % compared to 2021. The foreign population accounts for 10.02 % of these.

The LFS for the fourth quarter of 2022 indicates that 85.70 % of those in employment were employed on a full-time basis and 14.30 % on a part-time basis. Working time still shows a large gender gap, with 23.60 % of women’s jobs being part-time, compared with 6.30 % for men.

In terms of employment stability, Labour Force Survey data show that 82.20 % of those in employment have a permanent contract while 17.80 % have a temporary contract.

The number of workers registered with the social security scheme stood at 931 501 in December 2022, with 716 480 registered with the General Scheme and 187 395 registered with the Special Scheme for Self-Employed Workers. The 2022/2021 year-on-year change in people registered on the scheme showed an increase of 18 975 (2.08 %).

The economic activities with the highest percentage of social security registrations are: retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycles, with 9.38 % (87 362 registered), healthcare activities with 6.81 % (70 683) and education with 6.28 % (58 460).

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service (SEPE), 767 717 employment contracts were registered in 2022, 8.67 % fewer than in the previous year. Of these, 16.69 % of hirings were of foreign citizens.

The largest companies located in Castile and Leon are: Renault Group España, Grupo Antolín, Michelin España Portugal, Iveco España, Campofrío Food Group, Nissan Motor Ibérica, Valcarce Tarjeta Transporte, Pascual, Grupo Global Exchange, Benteler Ibérica Holding, GSK, AB Azucarera Ibérica, Grupo Entrepinares, Galletas Gullón, Agropecuaria del Centro Agrocesa, Bernabé Campal, Cobadu-S.Coop. Bajo Duero, Cerealto Siro Foods, Harinera Vilafranquina and Agropal Grupo Alimentario.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) and in view of the current economic situation and high unemployment figures, there should be no difficulties filling vacant positions or newly created jobs.

Difficulties in filling jobs in some activities may be due to aspects such as: geographical and functional mobility, the thresholds of acceptance of working conditions (salary, working hours) or the lack of infrastructures and communications in some areas of the region. In some occupations there may be a mismatch between qualifications offered by workers and those required by employers. Some of the occupations where labour is needed include:

• family doctor
• specialist medical practitioners
• nursing professionals
• physiotherapists
• heavy truck and lorry drivers
• cooks
• pre-school teachers
• home-based personal care workers
• bricklayers and related workers
• building and related electricians.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service (SEPE), the number of jobseekers is greater than the number of job offers in the majority of sectors and occupations. Some of the occupations in which there is a surplus of jobseekers are listed below:

• waiters
• crop farm labourers
• fitness and recreation instructors and programme leaders
• kitchen helpers
• mixed crop and livestock farm labourers
• security guards
• call centre employees
• telephone sales personnel
• freight handlers
• domestic cleaners and helpers

Castile-La Mancha is the third largest region in Spain after Castile and Leon and Andalusia. It is made up of five provinces (Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo). It covers an area measuring 79 462 km , i.e. 15.70 % of Spain. According to definitive data from the municipal population register prepared by INE on 1 January 2022, Castile-La Mancha had a population of 2 053 328 (50.07 % men and 49.93 % women), accounting for 4.33 % of the Spanish total. Its population density is 26 inhabitants/km², which is lower than the Spanish average (94 inhabitants/km²). A total of 193 475 non-nationals were registered in their municipalities of residence, accounting for 9.42 % of the total regional population. The number of non-nationals increased by 2.06 % year on year.

According to INE data, taking into account the GDP at market prices and gross value added (excluding taxes), the regional economy recorded growth of 7.50 % compared to 2020, which is less than the national figure (7.94 %). The largest contribution came from the services sector at 64.51 %, industry at 19.85 %, agriculture at 9.36 % and construction with the remainder contributing 6.28 %.

According to the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE), on 1 January 2022 there were 129 626 active companies in Castile-La Mancha (1.53 % more than in 2021). Of these, 54.21 % had no employees and 37.97 % employed between one and five. Only 0.47 % employ more than 50 workers.

The number of workers registered with social security in the region has increased considerably (2.31 %) compared with the previous year. The largest percentage is concentrated in public administration and defence, compulsory social security (9.71 %), followed by retail trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles (8.76 %), agriculture, livestock farming, hunting and related services (8.37 %), healthcare (6.13 %) and, finally, food and beverage services (5.73 %). Castilla-La Mancha accounts for 3.72% of the total number of those registered as employed in Spain.

According to the 2022 Labour Force Survey for the fourth quarter, the region’s economically active population totalled 1 019 600, an increase of 1.63 % compared with the same period of the previous year. This rise was higher than in the rest of Spain (0.85 %). The employed population in Castile-La Mancha was 872 900 (0.38 %), which is below the national average (1.38 %). The unemployed population, 146 600, has increased by 9.76 %. The unemployed represent 5.05 % of the national total. Castile-La Mancha is the region with the seventh highest unemployment rate (14.38 %) in Spain, which sits above the total for the country as a whole (12.87 %). The activity rate rose by 0.36 % compared to the same period in 2021, reaching 59.45 % in 2022.

The majority of the employed population works in the services sector (70.03 %), followed by industry (15.28 %), agriculture (6.61 %) and construction (8.09 %).

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service (SEPE), in 2022 the number of jobseekers registered in Castile-La Mancha totalled 143 225, accounting for 5.04 % of the national total. Foreign unemployed persons account for 12.23 %. In total, the number of unemployed persons in the region decreased by 2.21 %, which is lower than the national level (8.64 %).

In 2022, 753 796 employment contracts were registered in Castile-La Mancha, 18.15 % fewer than in the previous year. This decrease was lower than that for the country as a whole, for which the figure was 5.54 %. The number of foreign workers was 25.40 %, which was higher than the national total (21.31 %).

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service, the regional labour market currently has an unmet need for workers. Unemployment here has become structural and long-term due to the series of crises.

In Castile-La Mancha, one sector where output remains similar year on year is agriculture, where more labour is specifically needed during the grape harvests (September), olive harvests (December/January) and garlic harvests. The occupational groups of agricultural labourers and shepherds are particularly important in this context.

Significant recruitment continues in the food industry, which is closely linked to agricultural activity and therefore often affected by seasonal factors.

In the services sector, the most essential occupations are related to health professionals (nurses, doctors and physiotherapists) and staff for retirement homes. Others include: Vehicle repairers, Salaried lorry drivers, Drivers, Meat operators, Freight forwarders and unloaders, Logistics workers, Delivery drivers, Salaried cooks, Salaried waiters, Cleaning staff in offices, hotels and other similar establishments; Systems analysts, Graphic and multimedia designers, Computer systems operations technicians and Computer programmers.

In industry, workers are needed in occupations related to the iron and steel industry (electricians, refrigeration technicians, plumbers, sheet metal workers and boilermakers, trade in metal and small metal products), mechanical fitters of agricultural machinery, lathe operators, maintenance technicians, welders, machine tool setters and operators.

Lastly, the construction sector requires specialist professionals (officials) with experience in new systems, materials and energy efficiency technologies.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service (SEPE), there is a high number of unemployed jobseekers in most of the occupations with the highest number of contracts registered. There is still a surplus of jobseekers in the construction industry, especially in restoration work and low-skilled occupations.

Based on trends in the number of unemployed persons and the imbalance between recruitment and demand, the following occupations have the highest number of surplus candidates:

• cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
• clerical support workers not elsewhere classified
• shop sales assistants
• shelf stackers
• cashiers and ticket clerks
• child care workers
• civil engineering labourers
• building construction labourers
• receptionists (general)
• sewing machine operators
• hairdressers

Catalonia is situated in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula. It covers an area measuring 32 108 km². In the north it shares a border with France and Andorra, the Mediterranean Sea lies to the east, Aragon borders on the west and Valencia to the south. The region is flanked by the sea along 870 km and by land along 793.5 km. The Autonomous Community of Catalonia is divided into four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona. Barcelona is the capital.

As of 1 January 2022, the Catalan population amounted to 7 792 611 inhabitants, 3 833 786 men and 3 958 825 women, representing an increase on the previous year of 0.38 %, with a population density of 242.70 inhabitants/km². The foreign population residing in Catalonia accounts for 16.32 % of the total, 1.69 % higher than the previous year’s figure. Catalonia is home to 22.94 % of the total foreign population of Spain. The largest number of inhabitants lives in Barcelona (73.50 %), followed by Tarragona (10.65 %), Girona (10.19 %) and Lleida (5.66 %). The following 11 municipalities with over 100 000 inhabitants, ranked from highest to lowest population, are: Barcelona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Terrassa, Badalona, Sabadell, Lleida, Tarragona, Mataró, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Reus and Girona. The municipality of Barcelona is most numerous with 1 636 193 inhabitants.

According to an estimated forecast from the Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya, GDP in the fourth quarter of 2022 grew by 3.3% year on year in Catalonia and the quarter on quarter change was 0.3%. Breaking down the data by major sector, the service sector increased by 5.5 % compared to the fourth quarter of 2021 and construction by 4.8 %. The industrial and agricultural sectors decreased by 3.0 % and 14.8 % respectively. According to an estimated forecast for the fourth quarter of 2022, trade, transport and hospitality increased by 13.2 % compared to the fourth quarter of 2021; Real Estate, Professional and Other Activities by 9.5 % and Public Administration, Education, Health and Social Services by 3.8 %.

According to the most recent update by the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE), the number of companies (apart from those in the agricultural sector) with establishments in Catalonia, registered in January 2022, reached 634 223. The business community comprises mainly small and medium-sized enterprises. Some 58.31 % of companies have no salaried workers, 37.19 % have fewer than 10 workers and 0.21 % have more than 199. Companies with one or two workers account for 25.14 % of the total. Catalonia is the autonomous community with the highest number of active companies registered in all of Spain, accounting for 18.49 % of the total. By sector, the services sector comprises the largest share of companies with 82.54 % of the total, followed by construction with 11.97 % and industry with 5.49 %.

According to the labour force survey conducted by the National Statistics Institute for the fourth quarter of 2022, in Catalonia there are 3 906 200 economically active people, of whom 3 519 000 are employed and 387 200 unemployed. The unemployment rate is 9.91 %, while the employment rate stands at 60.69 %. Compared to the fourth quarter of the previous year, the employed population grew by 0.60 % and the unemployed population decreased by 2.09 %. The majority of the employed population works in the services sector (75.43 %), followed by industry (17.6 %), construction (5.58 %) and agriculture (1.39 %).

In December 2022, 3 588 801 people were registered with the social security in Catalonia, 4.64 % more than in December 2021. The General Scheme accounts for 82.15 % of Catalan registrations, self-employed workers account for 15.54 %, Agricultural Scheme registrations for 0.57 %, Domestic workers for 1.58 % and Seafarers' Scheme registrations for the remaining 0.16 %. The five economic activities accounting for the largest number of businesses are retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycle, public administration and defence, compulsory social security, health activities, wholesale and agency work, except motor vehicles and motorcycles and food and beverage services.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), in 2022, a total of 2 838 576 hirings were registered in Catalonia, a positive year-on-year change of 2.38 %. Of the total number of contacts in Catalonia in 2022, non-nationals accounted for 26.23 %. In December 2022 there were 346 338 unemployed persons and the annual change compared to December 2021 was -6.18 %. The percentage of foreign unemployed persons in 2022 was 19.54 %.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), the number of hirings rose in 252 occupations in Catalonia in 2022 compared to 2021. Of these 252 occupations, the following 10 accounted for more than 20 000 hirings (ranked from highest to lowest number of contracts). These 10 occupations accounted for 667 096 hirings, 23.50 % of total recruitment in Catalonia in 2022:

• waiters
• shop sales assistants
• health care assistants
• cooks
• heavy truck and lorry drivers
• call centre employees
• security guards
• teachers’ aides
• cashiers and ticket clerks
• sales representatives

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service, in Catalonia, the number of applications among job seekers rose for 71 occupations in December 2022 compared to December 2021. The 10 occupations with more than 1 000 applications and with the highest year-on-year increase (ranked from highest to lowest number of applications) are set out below:

• primary school teachers
• security guards not classified under other headings
• pre-school teachers
• medical laboratory technicians
• biologists, botanists, zoologists and related professionals
• statistical, financial or insurance service workers
• mechanical machinery assemblers
• film, stage and related directors and producers
• advertising and marketing professionals
• web and multimedia developers

Valencia is situated in the central-eastern part of Spain and comprises three provinces: Alicante/Alacant, Castellón/Castelló and Valencia/València. It covers an area of 23 259 km² and the population density is 220 inhabitants/km², well over the Spanish average of 94 inhabitants/km².

The population of the Autonomous Community of Valencia on 1 January 2022 was 5 097 967 people, 0.79 % more than the previous year. It represented 10.74 % of the national population. More than half were women. The third-placed autonomous community with the highest number of foreign inhabitants was Valencia, with 784 469, 15.39 % of the total population. The majority of the foreign population was from Europe, notably Romania, the United Kingdom, Italy and Bulgaria. Foreigners from elsewhere in the world originated mainly from Morocco, Colombia, China and Algeria.

The initial estimate of GDP at market prices for 2021 was EUR 112 603 499 000, putting this autonomous community in fourth place in terms of GDP, behind Madrid, Catalonia and Andalusia. According to the macroeconomic scenario for the Autonomous Community of Valencia, GDP could grow by 4.4 % in 2022 and GDP growth in volume terms is forecast to be 2 % in 2023. The Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIReF) states that these estimates must be modulated to take into account the current uncertainty and downside risks.

The number of active companies on 1 January 2022 was 374 917 according to the latest figures from the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE). This marks an increase of 1.87 % over the previous year. The service sector accounted for 81.20 % of the active enterprises, of which the most significant numbers were in commerce, 12.33 % in construction and 6.39 % in industry. According to the national business ranking published in El Economista.es, the Autonomous Community of Valencia is home to the following significant companies: the three largest in Alicante, based on turnover, are Bitcoinforme, SL, Balearia Eurolíneas Marítimas and Aldi San Isidro Supermercados, SLU. The three largest companies in Castellón are BP Energía España SAU, Pamesa Grupo Empresarial SL and UBE Corporation Europe SAU. The three largest companies in Valencia are Mercadona SA, Consum SCoopV and Stadler Rail Valencia SAU.

According to the Labour Force Survey, there were 2 565 700 economically active persons in the Autonomous Community of Valencia in the fourth quarter of 2022, 46.90 % of whom were women. The activity rate was 59.38 %, close to the national rate of 58.52 %. The economically active population numbered 2 218 600, of whom 45.69 % were women. Some 73.94 % of the employed population were in the services sector, 16.89 % in industry, 6.92 % in construction and 2.25 % in agriculture. In the same quarter, 347 200 of the active population were unemployed, of whom 54.64 % were women. The unemployment rate in the Autonomous Community of Valencia was 13.53 %, around the national average (12.87 %). The unemployment rate was 15.77 % for women and 11.56 % for men.

On 30 December 2022, a total of 2 051 912 people were registered with social security in the whole autonomous community, a year-on-year variation of 3.84 %. The five economic activities with the highest number of registered employees in 2022 were: retail, except motorcycles and other motor vehicles; food and beverage services; wholesale, except motorcycles and other motor vehicles, education and health activities. Programming, consultancy and other computer-related activities (19.31 %) grew the most year on year. The number of self-employed workers at that date was 362 228, one tenth of the total number of registered employees in Spain.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), 338 243 unemployed persons were registered with the Autonomous Community of Valencia’s public employment service in December 2022, 8.95 % fewer than in December 2021. A total of 60.69 % were women. In terms of age, 5.98 % of the unemployed were under 25 years of age, 35.80 % were between 25 and 44 and 58.22 % were over 45. Broken down by economic sector, 70.27 % were registered as unemployed jobseekers in the services sector, 12.48 % in industry, 7.71 % in construction, 6.51 % had no previous employment history and 3.03 % were in agriculture. Finally, non-nationals accounted for 17.07 % of the unemployed.

Regarding recruitment, the Autonomous Community of Valencia reported 1 777 634 employment contracts registered in the period between January and December 2022, which was one tenth of the total registered in Spain, and marked a 6.33 % drop compared to the same period of 2021. A total of 45.18 % were drawn up with women. In terms of age, 23.27 % of contracts went to under 25s, 50.89 % to people aged 25 to 44 and 25.84 % to people aged 45 and over. Foreign nationals accounted for 23.72 % of contracts. The economic activities with the highest recruitment figures were: Hotels and restaurants, Wholesale and retail trade, Manufacturing industry, Transport and storage, and Agriculture, livestock farming, forestry and fishing.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service, in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, causes of the mismatch between supply and demand in the labour market include lack of trained and/or experienced professionals, lack of technical skills specific to each occupation, working conditions, especially disagreements over wages and working hours, and the lack of cross-cutting skills, mainly languages or new technologies.

The tertiary sector, industry and construction have the biggest problems finding candidates. In the services sector, a shortfall of qualified staff has been identified in hospitals as well as for specialised doctors and nurses and hospital nursing assistants. There have also been difficulties in filling positions for profiles such as protection and security service workers, and professional lorry drivers.

In industry, the main mismatch is due to the lack of generational replacement, especially in the most skilled jobs. Such occupations include: Machine tool fitters and operators and food processing machine operators, shoemakers and related trades and shoe manufacturing machine operators and related trades.

Because the construction sector is performing well, there is a need for skilled workers such as bricklayers and reinforced concrete workers, plasterers and related trades.

Similarly, the production system as a whole requires qualified staff in the technological sector such as data analysts, computer engineers, technicians specialised in big data and IT security, and business intelligence experts.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service, based on recruitment figures and registered unemployment data from the last year, surplus numbers of jobseekers are struggling to find work. This situation can be observed across all economic sectors, and in particular in the following occupations, for which the number of job applications is very high:

• painters and decorators
• carpenters and joiners
• sewing machine operators
• fruit, pulse, vegetable and related preservers
• motor vehicle mechanics and repairers
• shop sales assistants
• sales representatives
• waiters
• cooks
• health care assistants
• hairdressers
• clerical support workers
• car, taxi and van drivers
• farmworkers and qualified gardeners and horticultural and nursery growers

Situated in the south-west of Spain, the Autonomous Community of Extremadura borders Castile and Leon to the north, Castile-la Mancha to the east, Andalusia to the south and Portugal to the west. It is divided into Spain’s two largest provinces: Badajoz and Caceres, which together account for 8.23 % of the entire area of Spain.

On 1 January 2022, Extremadura’s population stood at 1 054 776 inhabitants, down 0.45 % on the previous year (source: INE). This accounted for 2.22 % of the total population of Spain. The population is spread across 388 municipalities. A total of 43.81 % of these have fewer than 1 000 inhabitants, while only 35 municipalities exceed 5 000. With a population density of 25.45 inhabitants/km², it is one of Spain’s most sparsely populated regions. The foreign proportion of the population is 3.33 %. This rose by 0.72 % in 2022, but is significantly below the national proportion of 11.68 %. The nationalities with the largest numbers were Romanian, Moroccan and Portuguese. Only 4 out of 10 are from the European Union.

In 2021, the Autonomous Community of Extremadura only contributed 1.7 % to national GDP. The latest available figures show per capita GDP to be EUR 19 072, which is EUR 6 426 below the national average and one of the lowest of all of Spain’s autonomous communities. The distribution of gross regional value added per economic sector was as follows: services 71.80 %; industry 14.17 %; construction 6.90 %; and agriculture 7.13 %.

The region’s business community consists mostly of micro-enterprises. According to the INE Central Directory of Companies, on 1 January 2022, the number of businesses registered in Extremadura was 67 254, 96.42 % of which had 10 workers or fewer, and over half had no employed workers at all. In 2022, the number of businesses in Extremadura grew by just 1.31 % compared with the previous year. The economic activities accounting for the largest number of businesses were: retail, except motor vehicles and motorcycles; food and beverage services; wholesale and agency work, except motor vehicles and motorcycles; building construction; specialist construction work and other personal services.

According to the Labour Force Survey, in the fourth quarter of 2022 Extremadura ranked among the bottom five regions for economic activity and employment levels, and among the top for unemployment. These regions included the autonomous cities. Economic activity, employment and unemployment in Extremadura stood at 55.43 %, 45.67 % and 17.62 % respectively whereas the nationwide figures were 58.52 %, 50.99 % and 12.87 %, respectively. Foreign residents in Extremadura enjoyed higher activity and employment rates, especially among non-EU nationals, and a higher unemployment rate, especially non-nationals from the EU, who recorded an unemployment rate of around 31 %.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, the number of employed in Extremadura stood at 406 000, growing by only 2.36 % compared with the same period of the previous year. The majority of employed persons (72.96 %) work in the services sector; 11.16 % work in industry, 8.62 % in agriculture and the remaining 7.29 % in construction. In the fourth quarter, Social Security registrations in the region increased by 1.77 % compared with the same period of the previous year, accounting for approximately 2 % of the national total; most of the registrations were in the services sector.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), a total of 486 086 new employment contracts were recorded in Extremadura in 2022, 9.34 % of which were for non-nationals. Hiring in the region decreased by 17.30 % compared to the previous year. All economic sectors were affected, but services most strongly with 30.33 %. Recruitment of foreign workers in the region also declined, although not in all sectors: agriculture and fishing and construction fell by 43 % and 18 %, while services and industry increased by 10 % and 6 % respectively. Three of every four contracts signed by foreign workers were registered in the agricultural sector and almost 30 % in the services sector.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), there were 82 534 unemployed persons registered in Extremadura on 31 December 2022. Of these, 3.93 % were non-nationals. Both figures were approximately 10 % lower than on the same date the previous year. Unemployment in Extremadura fell across all economic sectors, compared with the same month of the previous year, except among the category of non-nationals without previous employment. However, services (by a large margin) was the sector with the highest concentration of unemployed persons, including among non-nationals.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service, hiring in Extremadura decreased in all economic sectors for workers of Spanish nationality, while industry and, in particular, services registered increases in the number of contracts compared to the previous year.

However, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, 33 % of occupations for which contracts were registered simultaneously recorded increases in recruitment and falls in numbers of unemployed jobseekers. The most dynamic occupations in Extremadura’s labour market include the following:

• home-based personal care workers
• bus and tram drivers
• teachers’ aides
• travel guides
• social work associate professionals
• bricklayers and related workers
• nursing professionals
• cooks
• kitchen helpers

Qualified personnel are also required in occupations in the field of renewable energies, and in information and communication technologies (ICT) sector as data analysts, computer engineers, technicians related to big data and IT security, and experts in business intelligence and data mining.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), unemployment in Extremadura fell across all economic sectors. In about 9 % of the occupations in which contracts were registered, the number of unemployed rose and at the same time the number of contracts fell. The most significant of these include the following:

• refuse sorters
• veterinarians
• garden and horticultural labourers
• shelf stackers

Galicia, in the north-west of the Iberian peninsula, has an area of 29 574 km². According to the INE, on 1 January 2022 it was home to 2 690 464 inhabitants, representing a 0.19 % decrease on 2021. Of the total population, 118 740 are non-nationals (4.41 %), 1 294 708 (48.12 %) men and 1 395 756 (51.88 %) women, with net population growth of 18 057 in 2021 and a migration balance of 12 106 in the first half of 2022. Population density is 90.97 inhabitants/km², and the population is very unevenly distributed among Galicia’s four provinces: A Coruña 41.60 % (140.78 inhab./km²), Pontevedra 35.05 % (209.79 inhab./km²), Lugo 12.04 % (32.87 inhab./km²) and Ourense 11.31 % (41.84 inhab./km²). One of the main problems facing Galicia, together with depopulation of the rural area, is its ageing population. The ageing rate is increasing year on year, and in 2022 stood at 213.54 % (213 people over 64 years old, for every 100 under 16).

In 2021, GDP at market prices in Galicia was EUR 63 230 043 000, after increasing by 7.83 % compared with 2020. It represents 5.24% of the national total and is the sixth autonomous community in terms of GDP among all the 17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities that make up Spain.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to the same period in 2021, the number of employed persons increased by 1.21 % (from 1 091 300 to 1 104 500); the number of economically active persons increased by 0.78 % (from 1 226 400 to 1 235 900) and the number of unemployed persons decreased by 2.73 %, i.e. 3 700 fewer, bringing the total down to 131 400. There was an increase of 2.33 % in the number of people paying social security contributions, which in absolute terms comes to 23 513 additional contributors, rising from 1 009 111 on 31 December 2021 to 1 032 624 on the same date in 2022.

According to information from the National Statistics Institute (Central Directory of Companies), in 2022, Galicia’s business community comprised 196 530 companies, mostly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and there were 13 (three more than in 2021) companies with over 5 000 workers, 7 in the province of A Coruña, 4 in Pontevedra, 1 in Lugo and 1 in Ourense. Since 2021, the total number of companies has risen by 0.96 %.

The largest companies in Galicia, in terms of turnover and number of employees, are the Inditex group in Arteixo (A Coruña), in the textile sector; Stellantis Vigo (Pontevedra), in automobile production; Gadisa (Betanzos) Vegalsa in A Coruña and Froiz in Poio (Pontevedra) in food distribution; Coren in Ourense, food processing; Financiera Maderera SA (FINSA) in Santiago (A Coruña), working in wood processing, or canneries, Nueva Pescanova and Jealsa-Rianxeira, the former based in Chapela (Pontevedra), and the latter in Boiro (A Coruña).

Based on the number of workers paying social security contributions, the most important activities are: retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorbikes, health activities, food and beverage service activities, education, public administration and defence, compulsory social security, specialised construction activities, wholesale trade and trade intermediaries, except motor vehicles and motorbikes and land and pipeline transport, all with more than 30 000 registrations.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service in Spain, in December 2022, the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra accounted for 78.95 % of the 142 222 unemployed job seekers (a decrease of 6.79 % compared to 2021) in Galicia, and 81.83 % of the 845 243 hirings during 2022, (7.95 % fewer than the previous year. However, this has a lot to do with the entry into force of Royal Decree-Law 32/2021 of 28 December 2021, which converted many temporary contracts to permanent contracts, reducing the number of contracts a person signs per year, and therefore the number of contracts as a whole).

The remaining 21.05 % of jobseekers were distributed quite evenly between Lugo (9.60 %) and Ourense (11.46 %), while, in terms of contracts, Lugo accounted for 10.16 % and Ourense, 8.01 %. Women accounted for a total of 57.92 % of the unemployed and 48.99 % of hirings. Young people under the age of 30 represented 11.07 % of the unemployed, with a recruitment rate of 32.75 %, while those over 45 accounted for 59.38 % of registered unemployment, with a recruitment rate of 28.74 %. People with disabilities accounted for 5.67 % of the unemployed and were awarded 2.13 % of the contracts. The recruitment rate of non-nationals was 9.91 % and the unemployment rate for this group was 7.36 %. A total of 47.03 % of unemployed jobseekers are long-term unemployed.

The economic activities with the largest increase in the number of contracts during 2022, and which, in turn, exceeded 1% of total recruitment, were: creative, arts and entertainment activities (31.87 %), motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing activities (22.42 %), sporting, recreational and entertainment activities (3.46 %), accommodation services (2.90 %) and activities of households as employers of domestic staff (1.70 %). Activities showing the biggest decreases, including those representing more than 1 % of recruitment, are: storage and auxiliary transport activities (-30.39 %), food industries (-21.89 %), manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers (-17.89 %) and wholesale trade and commercial intermediaries, except motor vehicles and motorcycles where recruitment fell by 16.80 %.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service in Spain, there is a surplus of jobseekers in the majority of occupations in the labour market in Galicia and therefore employers generally do not find it very difficult to fill job vacancies. In any case, according to the Good Prospects model, used by the Occupations Observatory, which considers Social Security registrations in particular, the economic activities with the best employment prospects are: health activities, retail trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles, programming, consultancy and other computer related activities, food and beverage services, education, social service activities without accommodation, care in residential establishments and public administration and defence, compulsory social security, among others.

Following the same model, the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service in Spain analysed trends in permanent and temporary contracts and those offered by temporary employment agencies (TEAs) in each of the provinces of this community, finding that the occupations with the best employment prospects are:

• primary school teachers
• social work and social education support professionals
• child care workers in nurseries and educational centres
• manufacturing labourers not elsewhere classified
• forklift operators

On the other hand, according to the survey carried out by the Occupations Observatory of the State Public Employment Service in the last quarter of 2022 on job vacancies that remain unfilled, the occupations that repeatedly have unfilled vacancies in the four provinces of this community are:

• generalist medical practitioners and specialist medical practitioners
• nursing professionals
• waiters and cooks
• health care assistant and home-based personal care workers
• bricklayers, plumbers and carpenters
• salaried drivers of cars, taxis and vans and of heavy trucks
• child care workers in nurseries and educational centres

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), on 31 December 2022 there was a surplus of workers in the Autonomous Community of Galicia in the vast majority of occupations with the highest number of unemployed jobseekers, regardless of the sector, although the sectors with the highest concentration of demand in relation to supply are as follows:

• shop sales assistants
• cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
• clerical support workers not elsewhere classified
• manufacturing labourers not elsewhere classified
• shelf stackers
• cashiers and ticket clerks
• civil engineering labourers

The Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands comprises the islands of the Balearic archipelago, located in the Mediterranean Sea off the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It has an area of nearly 5 000 km² with a total coastline of approximately 1 800 km. It has nearly 1 200 000 inhabitants, 18.87 % of whom are non-nationals according to the municipal population registers where they are registered. In 2022, the population of the islands increased by 0.31 %. The most numerous EU nationals are Italians, Germans and Romanians. The largest presence of non-EU nationals comes from Moroccan, Colombian and British citizens.

The economy of the Balearic Islands experienced significant GDP growth in 2022, reaching 10.7 %. The recovery is expected to continue in the coming years at a more moderate pace. Increases of 3.1 % and 3.2 % are predicted for the future and a return to the pre-crisis level of activity is expected. The growth forecast for this year is based on the positive performance of the labour market, a flourishing external sector and the growth of investment through the implementation of NextGenerationEU (NGEU) funds. The unemployment rate is expected to continue its downward trend in 2023.

The most recent data collected in the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE) as at 1 January 2022 and published by INE indicates that the number of active businesses increased by 3.17 % in 2021, to 101 236 million. From an employment point of view, the business structure of this community is highly fragmented into small business units, to the extent that 8 of every 10 companies have just 1 or 2 employees or are individual or family undertakings. However, it does have a small number of large companies in the areas of tourism, passenger transport, trade, private security and travel agencies.

Overall, the balance for 2022 was positive for employment. The year ended with more employed and registered workers than before the pandemic and with a reduction in unemployment. This means that the unemployment rate for the fourth quarter stands at 10.91 %, four points below the previous year, and lower registered unemployment figures were recorded for December than in December 2007.

At the end of the year, registrations rose by 5.72 % to more than 450 000. The largest increases were again in construction and services. The economic activity sectors that drove the improvement in the labour market during the year were: health activities, construction of buildings, housing services, specialised construction activities, food and beverage services and education.

The number of hirings in 2022 showed an increase of 28.02 % compared to 2021, and there was strong dynamism in permanent recruitment owing to the impact of the labour reform approved at the end of 2021, which has been fully effective since April and introduced significant changes to recruitment arrangements.

Registered unemployment continued to decline and ended the year with 35 851 unemployed jobseekers, 35.95 % fewer than last year. Foreign unemployed persons accounted for 20.62 %. Men and the unemployed aged 25-44 registered above-average declines.

Beyond the expected short- and medium-term growth, the main challenges and vulnerabilities of the Balearic labour market include a marked seasonality, progressive ageing of the population that hinders generational replacement in some sectors, a lack of qualified professionals, as well as rates of unemployment that are still high among young people, older workers and the long-term unemployed.

According to information from the Spanish Public State Employment Service’s Occupations Observatory, the economic recovery is revealing the labour shortages in some economic activities, either due to the acceleration of certain changes linked to the digitalisation of the economy or due to other factors such as an ageing population, lack of generational renewal or lack of interest among young people in traditional occupations due to the working conditions.

The Balearic Islands have a high level of specialisation, with the services sector accounting for 85 % of the contracts signed within the autonomous community, and hospitality and trade together with construction being the activities accounting for the largest number of hirings.

In the construction sector, there is a need for qualified workers who know how to handle machinery, install clean energies and use new technologies. Companies are warning of a lack of bricklayers, electricians, construction technicians, as well as construction machinery operators in general.

In the services sector, the most sought-after profiles in hospitality include qualified kitchen staff, receptionists, maintenance supervisors and drivers. In trade, it is difficult to find specialised staff with languages. In the health sector, there are shortages of staff in residential establishments, doctors and specialised nurses and hospital nursing assistants.

The entire production system also requires qualified personnel in the field of technology, such as systems and network analysts, software designers, programmers, experts in process digitalisation, artificial intelligence and data. In addition to professional skills, employers are looking for versatile people who are flexible and able to adapt and have a knowledge of languages.

According to information from the Public State Employment Service’s Occupations Observatory, the health crisis is having a big impact on the labour market. While the scale of the impact is unknown, it is already clear that it will leave its mark on the structure and functioning of the labour market and on the required job profiles. Reskilling will be necessary for new jobs. The number of job applications being registered with the public employment services is currently still too high for it to be possible to find jobs for all these applicants.

In general, the number of jobseekers in low-skilled occupations remains high compared to the number of job vacancies registered with the public employment services.

The occupations with the highest number of job applications at the end of the year were:

• cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
• shop sales assistants
• waiters
• clerical support workers
• kitchen helpers
• shelf stackers
• cashiers and ticket clerks
• freight handlers

The Autonomous Community of Madrid is situated in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Territorially, it is a medium-sized community, with an area of 8 028 square kilometres. Its borders roughly form an equilateral triangle, the base of which adjoins the province of Toledo to the south; its northern apex is at the Somosierra mountain pass. To the north and west, it borders the provinces of Segovia and Avila and to the east and south Toledo, Guadalajara and Cuenca. Madrid is a single-province community and therefore has no provincial government. Its capital city is also the capital of Spain. According to the INE on 1 January 2022, the number of inhabitants in the community amounted to 6 750 336, and the population density was 840 inhabitants per square kilometre. This population is mainly concentrated in the capital. Some 14.07 % of its residents are non-nationals, 52.15 % are women and 47.85 % are men. The population of Madrid dropped slightly compared with the previous year.

Madrid’s economy is one of the largest in Spain, mainly because the city of Madrid is the nation’s capital. GDP per inhabitant in 2021 was the highest in Spain, at EUR 34 821 per inhabitant. This exceeded the average amount registered for Spain and Europe.

According to data from the Central Companies Directory 2022, 16.59 % of active companies in Spain are located in Madrid. This percentage makes it the autonomous community with the second highest number of companies, after Catalonia. The Madrid business community has grown above the national average over the last year. This sector is mainly tertiary, with 85.25 % of the enterprises belonging to the tertiary sector, 3.68 % to industry and 11.07 % to construction. Although the community does not specialise in industry, it is ranked fourth for numbers of companies in this sector. In terms of provincial representation (over 2 %), wholesale trade and trade intermediaries, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles, retail trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles, real estate activities, construction of buildings, legal and accounting activities, health activities, food and beverage services, office administration and other business support activities, land and pipeline transport; specialist construction work; technical architecture and engineering services; technical testing and analysis; education; other personal services; other professional, scientific and technical services; advertising and market studies; auxiliary work for financial and insurance services.

Madrid had the second highest numbers of people paying social security in December 2022 after Catalonia, representing 17.40 % of the whole of Spain. Its year-on-year development was positive, increasing by 5.46 %. The activities that account for over 2 % of registrations in the autonomous community are: building and gardening services; security and investigation activities; storage and transport support activities; administrative office work and other business support activities; cinematographic, video and television programme work, sound recording and music publishing activities; specialised construction activities; employment-related activities; building construction; activities of households as employers of domestic staff; activities of travel agencies, tour operators, reservation services and related activities; sale and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; real estate activities; insurance, reinsurance and pension funds, except compulsory social security; decontamination activities and other waste management services.

According to the LFS, Madrid’s workforce (active population) totalled 3 608 200, in the fourth quarter of 2022, this figure breaks down into 3 193 000 employed and 415 200 unemployed. Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the active population increased by 2.13 % and numbers of unemployed by 16.15 %, while the employed grew by 0.55 %. The unemployment situation is proportionately less serious in the Community of Madrid than in the rest of Spain as the unemployment rate (11.51 %) is below the national average, while the employment rate (55.93 %) is above the average. The breakdown of the occupied population by economic sector confirms the predominance of the services sector, accounting for 84.38 % of Madrid’s population in work, followed by industry (9.42 %) and construction (5.79 %). While services account for most of the population in work, it is also the sector with the greatest number of unemployed persons.

According to information from the Madrid SEPE Occupations Observatory, the number of unemployed persons fell by 18.57 % between December 2021 and December 2022. Some 16.20 % of unemployed jobseekers in Madrid are non-nationals. A total of 59.32 % of unemployed persons in the autonomous community are women; 32.18 % are older than 55. Recruitment in 2022 increased by 2.27 % compared with the previous year. Some 22.89 % of the contracts were awarded to foreign workers.

All sectors have seen a decline in hiring, except for the services sector. The following activities represent more than 2 % and exceed the provincial increase: retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycles, wholesale trade and intermediaries, except motor vehicles and motorcycles; land and pipeline transport; advertising and market research; sports, recreation and entertainment activities.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), it is difficult to workers in the following occupations, though not due to a lack of these workers. With an employment rate of 11.51 %, and 297 789 unemployed persons registered at the public employment services, it is difficult to claim that there are no jobseekers to fill the vacancies. The difficulties are due to other reasons such as the lack of qualification of workers, unwillingness to accept working conditions, etc. However, it is possible to say that some occupations experience greater difficulty, including:

other medium-level professionals in cultural and artistic activities; shop demonstrators; customer information service employees not elsewhere classified; broadcasting and visual audio recording technicians; nursing professionals; engineers not elsewhere classified; customer information service employees not elsewhere classified; broadcasting and visual audio recording technicians.

There were recruitment difficulties in the following economic activities: Dependency care due to the lack of regulated qualifications or accredited experience; Logistics due to workers’ lack of adaptation to new technologies; industry because workers need to reskill and adapt to new technologies; occupational physicians because there are no applicants for this occupation. Unemployed drivers are not willing to work in international goods transport. Swimming pool lifeguards, as there are not enough registered unemployed persons to meet companies’ summer demand.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), the occupations with the highest number of jobseekers above 2 % are:

• cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
• shop sales assistants
• clerical support workers not elsewhere classified
• manufacturing labourers not elsewhere classified
• receptionists (general)
• freight handlers
• cashiers and ticket clerks
• shelf stackers
• waiters

Murcia is situated in the south-east of the Iberian peninsula between Andalusia and Valencia and between the Mediterranean coast and Castile-La Mancha. It covers 11 314 km² and has a population density of 135.40 inhabitants/km². On 1 January 2022, the population was 1 531 878, a year-on-year increase of 0.88 %. Men account for 50.10 % of the total. Of the total population, 13.63 % were non-nationals, which was 2.00 % more than in 2021, and the sixth highest percentage in Spain. The main countries of origin were Morocco, Ecuador, the United Kingdom, Romania, Colombia, Bolivia, Ukraine, Bolivia, Bulgaria and China.

The economy of the Region of Murcia grew by 4.9 % in 2022 (5.5 % for Spain), maintaining the growth started in 2021.The effects of the pandemic have disappeared. However, the war in Ukraine is currently driving a rise in prices, which is affecting all sectors, and GDP to a lesser extent. By 2023, the region is expected to see the lowest increase in the country, 1 %, although it is supposed to reach 2.4 % by 2024. Agriculture and livestock farming – the latter to a greater extent – are performing favourably, although drought and inflation are clear threats. The food industry is performing well in terms of turnover and exports. In the rest of industry, the performance is favourable in beverage manufacturing, the leather and footwear industry, the wood and cork industry, and electrical energy supply, while the chemical and metal industries are worse. The upturn in construction – both in housing and public works – continues. In services, tourism and transport in particular are recovering, while trade continues to lag behind.

The Region of Murcia was home to 44 387 companies in 2022, giving a year-on-year increase of 1.80 %, although in recent years the number has been decreasing. Some 98.33 % of companies have fewer than 50 workers and 80.57 % have no more than five. The most important companies are El Pozo, Hero, J. García Carrión, Alimer and Estrella de Levante in the food industry; Repsol, SABIC and Iberdrola in chemicals and energy; Hefame in pharmaceuticals; Navantia in shipbuilding; Ferrovial in civil engineering works; PC Componentes in the components trade, and Primafrio in transport and logistics. Cooperativism is more active in the Region of Murcia than the Spanish average, and Murcia is ranked first for the number of cooperatives per inhabitant; by 2023, 130 cooperatives are expected to be created, which would generate 280 jobs. The biggest cooperatives are in agriculture, trade, hotels and catering, education and health. The industrial sector is growing in terms of cooperatives.

The number of workers paying social security contributions in December 2022 was 627 012, a year-on-year increase of 4.3 %. Some 69.68 % are registered under the General Scheme and the self-employed account for 16.46 %. The following activities have the highest numbers of workers paying social security contributions: agriculture, trade, food and beverage services, health, education, food industry, specialised construction activities, public administration and road transport.

According to the figures provided by the National Statistics Institute’s labour force survey, in the fourth quarter of 2022 in Murcia there were 754 500 economically active persons, of whom 657 200 were employed and 97 300 were unemployed. The economic activity rate reached 59.99 % while the unemployment rate stood at 12.89 % – below the Spanish average of 13.33 % – and was higher for women than men. There was a slight year-on-year increase of 0.62 % in the number of unemployed persons and employed persons increased by 0.83 %. Employment increased in agriculture and services, but fell in industry and construction. The unemployment rate increased among men and decreased among women, and rose significantly among the under 25s, which reached 32.02 %, slightly higher than the national average.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), in December 2022 there were 89 962 unemployed persons registered at the employment offices, accounting for 3.17 % of the total nationwide. Of these, 61.90 % were women. Approximately 17.7 % were under the age of 30, while more than 52.7 % were aged over 45. Some 12.24 % were non-nationals and 42.84 % had been unemployed for more than a year. Compared to December 2021, registered unemployment decreased by 2.66 %, to below pre-pandemic levels. Contracts registered in 2021 (766 831) decreased by 20.88 % year on year, as temporary contracts were reduced as part of the labour reform. This boosted permanent contracts, which rose by 263.20 %, and the stability rate reached 44.39 %. Only 36.26 % of contracts were awarded to women, and 42.31 % were awarded to non-nationals, the second highest percentage in Spain.

The economic activities with a significant relative weight showing the highest year-on-year growth in hiring in 2022 are: employment-related activities, accommodation services, residential care, public administration and defence, compulsory social security, creative, artistic and entertainment activities, building services and gardening activities, social work activities without accommodation, and sale and repair of motor vehicles and motorbikes.

Similarly, the economic activities with the best employment prospects according to quantitative forecasts for the number of hirings and qualitative predictions are agriculture and livestock farming; the food industry; renewable energy (especially photovoltaic energy); and repair and installation of machinery and equipment. In construction, the same is true of building renovation and energy efficiency improvements. IT programming and consultancy; education, health, wholesale and retail trade, administrative activities, logistics and transport, building and gardening services, business consultancy, architectural and engineering technical services.

The mismatch between supply and demand in the labour market, which extends to different economic activities and occupational areas, makes it difficult for employers to find workers with profiles suitable for their jobs and causes problems for people seeking employment.

The occupations with the highest number of unfilled vacancies are: in industry, machine tool setters and operators, sheet metal workers and boilermakers, plumbers and pipe fitters, agricultural and industrial machine mechanics and repairers, electrical mechanics and fitters, refrigeration and air-conditioning installation mechanics and fitters, structural steelwork fitters, and welders and flame cutters.

In the primary sector and food industry, agronomists and related professionals, field crop growers and skilled workers, butchers, fishmongers and related workers.

In construction, engineers in construction and civil engineering, carpenters and joiners. In services, medical specialists and nursing professionals in healthcare; commercial purchasing agents; waiters and cooks in the hotel industry; heavy truck drivers, bus and tram drivers, supply chain technicians, in stock management technicians, and technicians in logistics and transport.

In information and communication technologies, there is a lack of systems analysts, web and multimedia developers, web and multimedia developers, database designers and administrators, information and communication technology user support technicians. There are also emerging occupations, mainly related to digitalisation in logistics, industry and business services, including robotisation and automation technicians, drone technicians, STEM professionals, big data and blockchain technicians, data scientists, artificial intelligence architects, e-commerce specialists and cybersecurity experts.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), the main occupations with a surplus of labour in the region are:

• shop sales assistants
• cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
• clerical support workers
• hairdressers
• shelf stackers
• cashiers and ticket clerks
• building caretakers
• sewing machine operators

The Autonomous Community of Navarre is situated in the north of Spain, in the westernmost part of the Pyrenees, and covers a total of 10 391.08 km². The population data recorded by the definitive census on 1 January 2022 was 664 117 people. This figure represents an increase of 0.39 % over the previous year, following the same trend as the population of the whole of Spain, which increased by 0.19 %. The gender distribution is effectively balanced, with 335 497 males (50.52 %) and 328 620 females (49.48 %).

73 475 foreign residents make up 11.06 % of Navarre’s total population. 27.05 % come from member states of the European Union and 72.95 % are from other non-member states. By gender, 50.48 % of the foreign population is male (37 089 persons) and 49.52 % female (36 386 persons).

According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the economic activity rate in Navarre in the fourth quarter of 2022 was 59.33 %. The rate was 64.12 % for men and 54.70 % for women. The employed population was 293 100, 1.81 % more than the previous year, but was 0.17 % higher if we consider the figures for the third quarter of 2022. By gender, 53.39 % of the employed population are men and 46.61 % are women, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.19 % for men and a decrease of 0.87 % for women. The unemployment rate, which stood at 10.09 %, increased by 1.61 % compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. By gender, the unemployment rate was 9.66 % for men and 10.58 % for women. The number of unemployed persons was 32 900, 1 100 up on the previous year (3.46 %).

At the end of December 2022 there were 296 178 workers in Navarre paying social security contributions, marking a year-on-year increase of 3.13 %. Economic activity sections with significant numbers of registrations included Manufacturing industry; Wholesale and retail trade; Repair of motor vehicles and motorbikes; and Health and social services activities. These sectors accounted for 46.07 % of the total number of registrations in the community.

There were 45 738 active companies in Navarre, according to the most recent update of the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE). This marks a 3.17 % drop compared to the previous year’s figure. 57.93 % of the companies have no employees. Companies employing between 1 and 5 workers account for 33.17 % of the total, 7.89 % have between 6 and 49 workers, and 1.01 % employ 50 or more. The companies with the highest turnover in Navarre are Volkswagen Navarra; Siemens Gamesa; Nordex Energy; Grupo A.N.S.C.; UVESA; Laboratorios Cinfa and Ultracongelados Virto, among others.

With regard to employment contracts, the number of contracts registered in Navarre during 2022 amounted to 334 321, which represents a decrease of 7.73 % compared to the previous year. Of these contracts, 20.42 % were entered into with non-nationals during this most recent period.

In this regard, the adoption of Royal Decree-Law 32/2021, of 28 December, on urgent measures for labour reform, ensuring job stability and the transformation of the labour market, has had an impact on recruitment arrangements, creating and expanding some and abolishing others. The increase in permanent recruitment is 194.81 % (347.92 % for ordinary permanent contracts). However, temporary recruitment fell by 22.62 %, showing a reversal in the recruitment pattern.

The stability rate in 2022 represents a break and a turning point in the historical series. A rise of 6.85 % to 21.88 % set a new trend mainly due to the change in the regulatory framework.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), on 31 December 2022, 31 610 unemployed persons were registered with the employment offices in Navarre: 1.30 % fewer than in December 2021. A total of 21.90 % of these were non-nationals.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), there are mismatches between supply and demand in specific occupations in different activities, either due to the acceleration of certain changes linked to the digitalisation of the economy or to transformations in the production model, or to other factors such as the ageing population, the lack of generational turnover or the lack of attractiveness of traditional occupations among young people.

Workers are hard to find for jobs that have a strong technical profile or accredited qualifications, as well as for less qualified jobs, particularly those jobs related to healthcare and food and manufacturing industries. Below is a list of occupations that are difficult to cover in Navarra (the jobs are listed in no particular order):

• specialist medical practitioners
• nursing professionals
• environmental and occupational health inspectors and associates
• systems analysts
• web and multimedia developers
• accountants
• waiters
• kitchen helpers
• food and related products machine operators
• messengers, package deliverers and luggage porters
• reinforced cement workers, plasterers and related trades
• carpenters and joiners
• crane, hoist and related plant operators
• forklift operators
• welders and flame cutters
• machine tool setters and operators
• mechanics and agricultural and industrial machinery repairers
• technical engineers not elsewhere classified
• lorry drivers.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), the highest number of job applications are in the following categories: elementary occupations and catering, personal, protective and sales workers.

The occupations which show the highest number of job applications at year end are:

• manufacturing labourers
• transport labourers and unloaders
• building construction labourers
• cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
• salaried car, taxi and van drivers.

The Basque Country is an autonomous community situated in the north of Spain (also referred to as Euskadi) covering an area of 7 230.33 km² and comprising three territories or provinces: Araba/Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa.

According to provisional INE data, the resident population of this community was 2 208 174 on 1 January 2022, which, after a year-on-year decrease of 0.26 %, accounted for 4.65 % of the total population of Spain. The population density was 305.40 inhabitants/km². By territory, 52.05 % of the population of the Basque Country lives in Bizkaia, 32.81 % in Gipuzkoa and 15.14 % in Araba/Álava. Throughout 2022, the number of non-nationals in this community increased by 0.88 %, and represents 8.36 % of the Basque population.

According to an estimate by the Spanish Regional Accounts (SRA) for 2021, the Basque Country was ranked seventh among the communities for its GDP increase, with an annual growth rate in volume terms of 5.5 %. This was the same as that of the Spanish economy as a whole and one tenth more than that of the European Union (EU-27), which was 5.4 %. It maintained the second highest GDP per capita in 2021, at EUR 32 925, compared to the national average of EUR 25 498.

In 2022, according to the quarterly accounts published by EUSTAT, the GDP of the Basque Country ended the year with an annual growth of 4.4 %. Year-on-year growth in the fourth quarter for the Basque economy, significantly higher than that of the European Union as a whole, was two tenths of a percentage point higher than that estimated for the Spanish economy. Manufacturing, trade, transport and hospitality accounted for the largest gains. There was also a positive trend in exports.

At the end of 2022, 142 904 companies were active in the Basque Country: 78.88 % in the services sector, 13.92 % in the construction sector and 7.21 % in industry. A total of 52.40 % had no workers, 42.14 % had fewer than 10, 4.98 % had between 10 and 99, 0.31 % had between 100 and 250 and 0.17 % had more than 250 employees.

The number of people paying social security contributions in December 2022 rose to 987 718, 3.03 % more than in the previous year, which represented somewhat lower growth than that registered for the country as a whole, where the number of workers increased by 3.90 %. Some 17.07 % of workers paying social security contributions were self-employed.

The most important companies include: Aernnova, Grupo Arteche, BBVA, Bridgestone Hispania, CAF, CIE Automotive, Eroski, Etxe Tar, Euskaltel, Gamesa, Gestamp, Iberdrola, Ibermática Idom, Ingeteam, ITP, Kutxabank, Mercedes, Michelin, Mondragon Corporación Cooperativa, Sener, Tubacex, Velatia, Vidrala, etc.

According to the Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate rose by 23 percentage points in 2022 to 8.66 % in the last quarter of the year. The employed population decreased by 0.80 % and the active population decreased by 0.56 %, while the number of unemployed increased by 2.16 %.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE):

815 719 recruitments were reported in 2022, 5.34 % less than the previous year, representing 4.45 % of government contracts. The proportion of contracts stood at 50.18 % for women, 37.79 % for young people under 30, 28.08 % for people aged 45 and over, 16.65 % for contracts with non-nationals and 1.97 % for people with disabilities.

The number of unemployed jobseekers in this autonomous community had fallen by 3.52 % to 110 798 persons on 31 December 2022. Of the total number of unemployed persons, women accounted for 56.82 %, the long-term unemployed for 48.12 %, those over 45 for 54.48 %, those under 30 for 15.28 %, non-nationals for 16.86 % and persons with disabilities for 5.45 %.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service in Spain, there is a need for lorry drivers and logistics employees in the field of transport. In construction, electricians, plumbers and bricklayers. In the industrial sector, industrial engineers, electronic and mechanical technicians, mechanics and repairers, welders and flame cutters. In the health sector, there is a lack of specialised nurses, specialist and family doctors, as well as occupational and environmental health and hygiene professionals. In the hospitality industry, companies struggle to find professional waiters and cooks.

The occupations in which the greatest recruitment opportunities were identified in relation to the number of registered jobseekers are in the services sector and were as follows:

• health care assistants
• fitness and recreation instructors and programme leaders
• personal carers in health services
• teachers’ aides
• cooks
• nursing professionals

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service in Spain, the highest number of unemployed continues to be registered in occupations with a low level of qualification. The high volume of applications persists in occupations related to hospitality, trade and industry:

• cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
• shop sales assistants
• manufacturing labourers
• waiters
• shelf stackers
• freight handlers
• clerical support workers
• kitchen helpers
• domestic cleaners and helpers
• cashiers and ticket clerks
• building construction labourers
• receptionists (general)

Rioja is a single-province Autonomous Community situated in the north of Spain. It borders the provinces of Soria, Zaragoza, Navarra, Álava and Burgos.

Rioja is the smallest autonomous community in Spain (5 045 km²) and the one with the smallest population, 319 892 inhabitants on 1 January 2022, with a population density of 62 inhabitants per km².

In recent years, the population of Rioja has grown less than that of Spain; by gender, the increase in the female population is much higher than the increase in the male population.

The community is organised into 174 municipalities, of which 133 have fewer than 500 inhabitants. Thirty have more than 1 000 and of these only five have more than 10 000 inhabitants. With 150 020 inhabitants, its capital Logroño is the most populous city, followed by Calahorra, Arnedo, Haro and Lardero.

According to figures provided by the Central Directory of Companies, on 1 January 2022 there were 22 532 companies in Rioja, down 0.78 % from the previous year.

Small and medium-sized enterprises predominate in Rioja; 53 % of enterprises have no employees and only 0.68 % have more than fifty employees, which reflects the impact of small and medium-sized enterprises in the region.

Based on sales turnover, the most important companies in the region are: Grupo Garnica Plywood, SA, Conservas El Cidacos S.A., CONTOURGLOBAL La Rioja, S.L, Grupo Empresarial Palacios Alimentación S.A, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja S.A, Domiberia S.L.U., Alejandro Miguel S.A., CMP Automotive Assembly Abrera S.L. and Constantia Tobepal S.L.

The economic activities most represented in the province are the food industry, footwear, agriculture, winemaking, the metal industry and ICT.

The unemployment rate in Rioja stands at 8.60 %, with a year-on-year reduction of almost two percentage points; the activity rate is 59.71 % and the employment rate is 54.58 %.

On 31 December 2022, 123 517 workers were paying social security contributions in Rioja, a year-on-year increase of 2.40 %, and lower than the increase recorded for Spain overall.

The activities with the highest number of registrations in the province are Manufacturing, Wholesale and retail trade, Health care activities and Education.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), there were 14 348 unemployed persons as at 31 December 2021, which represents a year-on-year reduction of 4.92 %, almost half the reduction registered in Spain.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), the number of contracts registered in 2022 was 136 770, which is 8.74 % less than in the same period the year before, and much greater than the decrease in Spain as a whole.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), the main occupations with a moderate demand for labour are:

• In the services sector, the greatest recruitment opportunities are identified in the Social and Health Activities, Information Technologies and Logistics and Transport Activities.
• bartenders
• nursing professionals
• health care assistants
• information and communications technology operations technicians
• computer network and systems technicians
• web technicians
• heavy truck and lorry drivers
• transport clerks
• sewing, embroidery and related workers
• In the construction sector:
• bricklayers and related workers
• carpenters and joiners
• cabinet-makers and related workers
• plumbers and pipe installers
• building and related trades workers
• building and related electricians.
• In the agricultural sector: field crop and vegetable growers

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), the number of registered jobseekers in Rioja is high in relation to the available job offers. This situation particularly applies to the services sector:

• clerical support workers
• shop sales assistants
• receptionists (general)
• bank tellers and related clerks
• general office workers
• In the industrial sector:
• manufacturing labourers
• machine and fixed plant operators

The Autonomous City of Ceuta is located on the African shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, on the small Peninsula of Almina. It borders on the Mediterranean sea to the north, east and south and shares a border with Morocco on the west and south-west. It covers an area of 19.48 km² accounting for 0.0038 % of the total area of Spain. The Autonomous Cities of Ceuta and Melilla are the nation’s two smallest autonomous territories.

According to the data published by the National Statistical Institute on 1 January 2022, the number of inhabitants is 83 117, which indicates that there are 400 fewer inhabitants than in 2021. Of these, 50.44 % are men and the remaining 49.56 % are women. The foreign population of Ceuta was 5.91 % of the total population. In absolute terms, this represents 400 non-nationals fewer than in the previous year, mainly due to the closure of the border with Morocco.

According to demographic indicators, Ceuta’s population is young: 39.14 % are under 30 and 30.13 % of that group is under 15. The ageing index is 61.21 % meaning that for every 100 young people under 16 there are slightly more than 61 people over age 64.

According to the LFS, drawn up by the INE, in the fourth quarter of 2022, the active population in Ceuta was 42 000 people, an increase of 5 300 people compared with the same period of the previous year; males accounted for 56.42 % of this population. A total of 69.52 % of active people are employed. The gender distribution of employed people remains very unequal, with men accounting for 60 %.

The Central Directory of Companies registered 3 744 companies in Ceuta in January 2022, of which 52.51 % had no employees and 29.49 % had fewer than three; 17 had between 50 and 249 workers and three had more than 250. The most representative economic activities of Ceuta by number of employees are: Public administration and defence; Social Security accounts for 17.90 %; Retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorbikes which, with 2 991, accounts for 13.02 % of affiliates and Health Activities with 1 683 accounts for 7.33 %.

In December 2022, 22 972 workers were registered on the Social Security system, most of them in the General Scheme, with 8 897 registered, and 1 187 in the Special Scheme for Self-Employed Workers. Registrations grew by 3.89 % year on year between 2021 and 2022. This means 861 more employees in absolute terms.

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service in Spain, the number of contracts registered in 2022 was 16 945 with a change of 7.51 % compared to the previous year, with 89.07 % of the contracts being in the services sector. The temporary employment rate fell to 61.16 % compared to 86.66 % in 2021, while the stability rate rose from 13.34 % to 38.84 % in 2022.

According to the data provided by the INE, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Ceuta amounted to EUR 1 760 058 in 2021, after experiencing growth of 5.9 % over the previous year, which represents 0.14 % over the national level according to the advance data of the INE. The local production structure is very unbalanced, as 89.43 % of local GDP is provided by the services sector (despite a decline compared to the previous year), industry (6.05 %), construction (4.43 %) and agriculture (0.09 %). Although the GDP per capita of this autonomous community increased by EUR 1 447 in 2021 compared to the previous year and reached EUR 21 244, it is still lower than that of Spain (EUR 25 498).

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service in Spain, during the last year, the COVID-19 health crisis and the closure of borders with Morocco (meaning the cross-border workers who supplied the labour market were no longer available), led to difficulties in filling posts with first officer professional level or labour category in the following occupations:

• building frame and related trades workers not elsewhere classified
• plumbers and pipe installers
• painters and decorators
• building and related electricians.

Other occupations struggling to find professionals are:

• butchers, fishmongers and related food preparers
• sheet-metal workers
• bakers, pastry-cooks and confectionery makers
• butchers (Halal officer),
• hairdressers (barbers, men's hairdressers)
• specialist medical practitioners

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service in Spain, the labour market situation has not changed with respect to previous years, the services sector remaining the one with the largest surplus workforce. Generally, these surplus workers are mostly engaged in low-skill occupations and where the demand for employment is much higher than the supply:

• manufacturing labourers not elsewhere classified
• cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
• building construction labourers
• couriers, delivery drivers and luggage porters

The number of people seeking jobs in other, somewhat more skilled occupations cannot be absorbed by the labour market, in the following fields:

• administrative employees without front-office duties
• shop salespersons
• cashiers and ticket clerks (except banks)
• security guard assistants
• personal care workers in health services not elsewhere classified
• building caretakers

Melilla is one of the two autonomous cities of Spain, located in North Africa, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, bordering the Rif region of Morocco. It has a surface area of 13.40 km², with a high population density of 6 901 inhabitants per km².

According to definitive figures from the municipal population register processed by the National Institute of Statistics on 1 January 2022, its population amounted to 85 170 people, of which 42 990 were men (50.48 % of the total) and 42 180 were women (49.52 % of the total). The number of non-nationals amounted to 11 675, which represents 13.71 % of the total population. Compared to 2021, the population fell by 1 091. This decrease, amounting to 1.26 % of the population, was the largest in the last five years.

Figures published by the National Institute of Statistics (Regional Accounts of Spain, 2021 Statistical Review) show that the GDP of the Autonomous City represents 0.13 % of national GDP, i.e. similar to previous years. Melilla's economy is fundamentally based on the services sector with a relative proportion of 90.44 % of Melilla's total GDP, with construction, industry and finally agriculture lagging far behind.

According to information from the Central Directory of Companies of the National Statistics Institute (DIRCE, as at 1 January 2022), the business community in Melilla comprises 4 856 companies, 3.34 % fewer than in the previous year, of which 59.76 % have no employees (2 902), 37.09 % have between 1 and 9 employees (1 801) and 2.86 % have between 10 and 49 employees (139). There are only 2 companies with fewer than 250 employees, reflecting the importance of entrepreneurship and small businesses in Melilla.

The latest published Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the fourth quarter of 2022 shows that 46.17 % the total population aged 16+ in Melilla are employed while 21.20 % are unemployed, which is one of the highest unemployment rates in Spain. The unemployment rate among women is particularly high at 27.27 % and the employment rate is 7 points lower (39.39 %).

The social security figures at 30 December 2022 show that the number of registrations was 24 530 people. Of these, 56.22 % were men compared with 43.78 % women. The number of registered workers increased by around 3.80 % compared to the same month last year. The general scheme accounts for the largest proportion (78.17 %) of all registrations.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service in Spain, on 31 December 2022 the number of unemployed in Melilla amounted to 8 939 persons, an increase of 9.20 % compared to the same month of the previous year. The percentage of foreign unemployed is 22.12 % of the total. Broken down by gender, unemployed women account for 63 % (5 639) of the total, compared with 47 % (3 300) for unemployed men.

The number of contracts registered in Melilla on 31 December 2022 amounted to 19 492, representing a decrease of 4.63 % compared with the previous year; the rate of contracts for non-nationals was 16.57 % of the total. Women account for 54.69 % of all registered contracts, compared with 45.31 % of men.

Among economic activities, specialised construction performed particularly well last year. The remaining activities belong to the service sector: Sporting, recreational and entertainment activities; Office administrative and other supporting business activities; Gambling and betting activities; Activities of membership organisations; Education; Social work activities without accommodation; Activities of head offices; Business management consultancy activities; Health care activities; Programming, consultancy and other activities related to information technology.

According to information from the Observatory for Occupations in the State Public Employment Service in Spain, the mismatch between supply and demand for employment in the Melilla labour market was accentuated by the COVID-19 health crisis and the consequent closure of borders with Morocco, which meant that cross-border workers who traditionally supplied labour to the labour market were no longer available.

The main factors determining the mismatch between labour supply and demand were lack of technical skills to fill the vacancies and the working conditions offered.

The construction sector is the sector with the greatest need for specialised professionals. People are needed in the following professions: bricklayers; plasterers; welders and flame cutters; stonemasons, stone cutters, splitters and carvers; roofers; crane, hoist and related plant operators

The services sector – which drives the labour market and the economy in Melilla – needs skilled labour with formal training in the following occupations.

• Hospitality-related activities: salaried waiters; salaried cooks; bakers, pastry cooks and confectioners.
• Transport-related activities: heavy truck and lorry drivers, hand and pedal vehicle drivers.
• Trade-related activities: shop sales assistants; butchers, fishmongers and related food preparers.
• Activities related to assembly, repair and installation: motor vehicle mechanics and repairers; electrical mechanics and fitters; air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics; riggers and cable splicers.
• Healthcare activities such as medical specialists

According to information from the Observatory for occupations in the state public employment service (SEPE), the number of jobseekers continues to outnumber vacancies in medium or low-skilled occupations, mainly concentrated in the services sector. The occupations with the largest surpluses are:

• cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments
• domestic cleaners and helpers
• messengers
• building caretakers
• farm labourers
• garden and horticultural labourers
• manufacturing labourers
• transport labourers
• security guards
• civil engineering labourers
• freight handlers