Labour market information: Spain

National Level

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, 89 % of whom are Spanish nationals. 2021 was the first year in which the total population decreased, after four consecutive years of growth. The population of Spain fell from the level of 42 million that had been reached for the first time in the previous year. Although the number of foreign nationals in Spain is decreasing, it remains above 5.4 million. This decrease relates to EU citizens, while the number of non-EU citizens has grown. The largest numbers of EU citizens are from Romania, Italy and Bulgaria, while from outside the EU the largest presence of non-nationals comes from Moroccan, Colombian and British citizens. Among the main nationalities, the largest population increases were among citizens from the United Kingdom, Colombia and Venezuela, while the number of citizens from Romania, Bolivia and Ecuador decreased the most.

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. At the beginning of 2020, the economy was in a positive phase of growth, which lasted for more than 5 years and had a stronger basis than in previous cycles. The economy was growing at a rate higher than the European average. The economic picture completely changed as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis and the impact of the measures taken to contain it. This led to a historic decline in GDP of 10.8 %.

Following the initial impact of the pandemic, in 2021 Spanish GDP grew by 5 %, its biggest increase since 2000, according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE). According to the Spanish Government’s 7 % growth forecast for 2022, the increase in economic activity in general and, above all, the revival of the services sector, will be felt in the labour market, with an increase in employment and a decrease in unemployment. Taking into account the latest developments in labour indicators in terms of workers paying social security, a 2.7 % growth in employment is forecast for 2022. 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.

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 two 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.

The most recent data collected in the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE) as at 1 January 2021 and published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) indicates that the number of active businesses decreased by 1.1 % in 2020, to 3.37 million. 18 % of active companies were 20 years old or more, and the same proportion were less than 2 years old. By economic sector, ‘other services’ was the most prominent in the categories of businesses, accounting for 60.7 % of the total. This sector, which had 2 043 693 active businesses, includes all those in hotels and catering, transport and retail, information and communications, financial and insurance activities, real estate, professional, scientific and technical activities, administrative and auxiliary services, education, health and social work and other social activities, including personal services. The prominence of trade was also significant, accounting for 21.2 % of the total. This sector includes companies engaged in wholesaling, in retail and trade brokers. Lastly, companies in the construction sector accounted for 12.4 % of the total, while industry represented 5.7 %.

Taking into account the data estimated by the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the year 2021 closed with a good labour market performance following the sharp deterioration in the previous year; the number of people in employment increased by 841 000, and employment returned to pre-pandemic levels. The number of unemployed decreased by 616 000, meaning the unemployment rate was steadily decreasing over the year to 13.3 %. This represents a considerable decrease of almost three points – the largest reduction in the European Union – but Spain remains the country with the highest unemployment rate.

According to information from the Spanish Public State Employment Service’s Occupations Observatory, this positive trend in the employment market at the end of 2021 is also reflected in the administrative records: the number of unemployed persons registered with public employment services in December 2021 declined a notable 20 %. The number of those contributing to social security has been increasing, reaching 19.4 million, while recruitment figures increased by 21.6 %. The presence of workers from other countries is an important factor in these indicators, given that they account for 10.8 % of unemployed persons, 11.4 % of social security contributors and 20.4 % of employment contracts.

In the case of foreign nationals contributing to social security, workers from European Union countries account for 36 %. In total, 57 % are men. The highest number of foreign nationals are from Romania, Morocco, Italy, China, Colombia, Ecuador, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France and Ukraine.

GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN	www.lamoncloa.gob.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
SOCIAL SECURITY	www.seg-social.es
BANK OF SPAIN	www.bde.es

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.

According to information from the National Statistics Institute (INE), in the third quarter of 2021, companies estimated that they had almost 120 000 vacant positions. Along with the figure for the previous quarter, this is the highest number of unfilled job openings since collection of this information began. Openings are concentrated almost exclusively in the services sector and mainly in companies with fewer than 50 workers. However, according to Eurostat data, Spain is, together with Greece, one of the countries with the lowest rates of available employment in Europe. Both countries have high unemployment rates and low job vacancy rates.

The professions needed are: lorry drivers in the transport sector; builders, electricians, crane operators, foremen, site managers and civil engineers in the construction sector; and forklift operators and distributors in the logistics sector. The services sector has identified a lack of qualified staff to provide care in residences, specialised doctors and nurses and hospital nursing assistants. It has also been difficult to fill teaching vacancies in certain technical subjects and in vocational training.

The technological transformation is also leading to a shortage of professionals in some occupations, such as profiles specialised in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Analyses of job vacancies published on job portals show the emergence of professions in the digital field, which are expected to experience strong growth in the coming years. These include specialists in artificial intelligence, robotics engineers, agile coaches, big data developers, cloud architecture experts, cyber security specialists, drone traffic controllers, online customer representatives or 3D printing designers (generative design, topological optimisation, or creation of reticular or lattice structures).

Andalusia

Andalusia is situated in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, being 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 Alboran 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 2021, with 8 472 407 inhabitants. Its population density is 96.7 inhabitants/km² and its population grew by 0.09 % compared to the previous year. The most populous provinces are Seville, Málaga and Cádiz. Andalusia has 711 916 foreign residents, accounting for 8.4 % of the population and representing a 1.41 % year-on-year increase.

According to data from the Central Directory of Companies of the National Statistics Institute (DIRCE, as at 1 January 2021) the business community of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia comprised 531 160 registered companies, 54.46 % of which had no employees (289 289). Of the total number of companies with paid workers (241 871), 91.75 % have fewer than 10 workers and 7.09 % have between 10 and 49 workers, reflecting the predominance of small business. The economic activities in which the largest numbers of companies operate are: wholesale and retail trade, food and beverage services, building construction, bar trade and real estate activities. The largest companies include Cepsa, Endesa, Mercadona and Bidafarma, which rank top of the list. By province, prominent companies include: the Cosentino Group in Almería, Airbus and Acerinox in Cádiz, Cunext Coppers Industries, Deoleo and Covap in Córdoba, the Covirán Group and Lactalis Puleva in Granada, Atlantic Cooper and Matsa in Huelva, Valeo and Aceites del Sur in Jaén, Dcoop and Unicaja Banco in Málaga, and Abengoa and the Prodiel Group in Seville.

According to data published by the National Statistics Institute (Spanish Regional Accounts, 2020 preview), the Autonomous Community of Andalusia contributes 13.4 % 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 2020 indicated a 10 % fall from 2019 in terms of volume, less than that for Spain as a whole (-10.8 %). Gross domestic product per capita in 2020 was EUR 17 747, 9.1 % lower than the previous year and 25.10 % less than the national average.

Due to the uncertainty about the evolution of the COVID-19 crisis, it is difficult to make growth forecasts for Andalusia. According to a report by Analistas Económicos de Andalucía [Economic Analysts of Andalusia] (No 107, Previsiones Económicas de Andalucía), the economic recovery is continuing, but at a somewhat slower pace. This is due to the situation created by the Omicron variant, problems in supply chains and an upturn in inflation which has led to downward revisions of the global growth outlook. Therefore, Andalusian GDP is expected to end 2021 with growth of 4.8 % and 2022 with growth of 5.5 %. An increase in employment of 2.4 % is forecast.

According to the latest Labour Force Survey (LFS) data for the fourth quarter of 2021, of the total population aged 16 and over in Andalusia (7 075 000), 4 071 600 are economically active, with 79.82 % of those employed and 20.18 % unemployed. The unemployment rate in Andalusia (20.18 %) is among the highest in Spain, exceeded only by the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. The figure for women is 23.67 % and for men it is 17.21 %. The provinces of Cádiz, Jaén and Granada have the highest unemployment rates in the region, while Almería and Córdoba have the lowest rates.

According to data from social security records, in December 2021 and in comparison with the same month of the previous year, the number of registered workers increased by 131 376. It should be noted that there has been an increase in the general social security scheme and the special scheme for self-employed workers, while a decrease has been observed in contributions to the special system for agriculture.

According to information from the State Public Employment Service, 785 641 people were recorded as being unemployed in Andalusia in December 2021, 18.96 % fewer than in the same month of the previous year. Foreign unemployed persons accounted for 7.77 %. 4 588 352 employment contracts were concluded in 2021. This is a 15.96% increase on the previous year, and is mainly due to the services sector; foreign workers were given 14.73 % of the contracts recorded in Andalusia.

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
MINISTRY OF INCLUSION, SOCIAL SECURITY AND MIGRATION.	www.seg-social.es
MINISTRY OF EMPLOYMENT, TRAINING AND SELF-EMPLOYMENT	www.juntadeandalucia.es/organismos/empleoformacionytrabajoautonomo.html
ANDALUSIA STATISTICS INSTITUTE	https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/institutodeestadisticaycartografia/
ECONOMIC ANALYSTS OF ANDALUSIA	www.analistaseconomicos.com

According to information from the Public State Employment Service’s Occupations Observatory, 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, have started to pick up as restrictions in Spain and in tourists’ countries of origin begin to be lifted. The Andalusian agri-food industry, which has benefited from external demand and its export potential, will continue to create jobs, but will be subject to the evolution of the pandemic and international market demand.

The decline in unemployed jobseekers and the widespread increase in recruitment in all economic sectors indicate that workers directly affected by the impact of the pandemic in the short-term and medium-term have re-entered the labour market. The high numbers of people still looking for employment seem to suggest that no labour is needed to cover the supply that may be generated. Nevertheless, there is some difficulty in finding workers in the health and personal care sectors, whether due to a shortage of professionals, a lack of public funding or the precarious nature of the contracts. Due to strong seasonal demand and restrictions on movement, there may also be a shortage of labour to carry out certain tasks in specific periods in farming areas. The technology sector requires staff highly qualified in technical skills, with a business vision to cope with the changing business models and to fill the newly-created vacancies planned with the forthcoming establishment of large hubs of telecommunications companies, network services and logistics centres.

There are, in principle, difficulties filling vacancies for the following occupational groups in Andalusia:

nursing professionals
general medical practitioners
care workers in institutions
systems analysts
software developers
information and communications technology user support technicians
builders
transport logistics employees
farmworkers.

Aragon

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 provisional data compiled by the INE from the municipal registers, in early 2021 it had 1 326 261 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 decrease over the last year puts an end to the series of increases that have been recorded since 2017, in particular as a result of immigration. The population of foreign nationals decreased in the last year, but the Spanish population did not. Currently, the foreign population accounts for 12.24 % and the largest number of foreign nationals are from Romania, Morocco, Nicaragua, Colombia and China.

According to estimates from the Aragon Institute for Statistics, on an annual basis, Aragon’s GDP grew by 2.2 % in the third quarter of 2021. This growth is 1.2 percentage points lower than that recorded for Spain as a whole (3.4 % per annum), and it is also lower than that of the euro area (3.9 % per annum). Estimates of the Government of the Autonomous Community of Aragon forecast GDP growth of 6.6 % for 2021 and 7.1 % for 2022. Employment is projected to grow by 1.5 % in 2021 and by 2.0 % in 2022.

According to the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE), in 2021 the number of businesses trading fell by 2.29 % to 88 602. Of these, 70 % were in the services sector, more than half had no employees on the payroll and approximately 45 % had between one and 49 employees. 680 companies employ between 50 and 1 000 workers and there are 25 companies in Aragon employing more than 1 000 workers.

The region’s largest companies are located in the province of Zaragoza. Opel Spain, with more than 5 000 workers, is the largest company and various ancillary companies depend on it. Others of note in this province are paper manufacturers 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 (veneer sheets and wood panels), Ronal Ibérica SAU (tyres and bath screens), Casting Ros (automotive components), Térvalis group (fertilisers), Piezas y Rodajes, S.A., and Röchling Automotive. 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 y Fribin (meat processing) and Piensos Costa, Mazana Piensos Compuestos, Cincaporc and Agropienso (fodder).

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.

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.

Amazon is planning to launch a new ‘Amazon Web Services (AWS) Europe Region’, which will comprise three zones in Aragon: Huesca, Villanueva de Gállego and El Burgo de Ebro. It will be the seventh AWS region in Europe, joining those in Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Stockholm and Milan, and it is expected to start operations in summer 2022.

According to information from the Occupations Observatory of the Public State Employment Service (SEPE), Aragon recorded six consecutive years of job creation and reduction in unemployment up until 2019. This trend was broken in 2020 as numbers of job losses that were unprecedented in history were recorded. In 2021, however, the opposite occurred.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) recorded a 3.68 % rise in employment compared to the same quarter in the previous year, as well as a 27.99 % drop in unemployment figures. The unemployment rate in Aragon is 9.02 %, 4.31 percentage points below the national average. This means Aragon has the second lowest unemployment rate of all the Spanish regions. Labour market performance in the last quarter of 2021 reflects the recovery of jobs and, despite the ongoing health crisis, a trend towards stabilisation.

Hiring levels in the services sector and industry have recovered, with increases of more than 27 % in 2021. The agriculture and construction sectors are also improving, with increases of more than 6 %. By section of economic activity, the hotel and catering sector, together with recreational, artistic and entertainment activities have shown the highest year-on-year increases. Information and communication activities, and education activities, also stand out in this respect.

OCCUPATIONS OBSERVATORY	www.sepe.es
PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.esand www.inaem.es
GOVERNMENT OF ARAGON	www.aragon.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
MINISTRY OF INCLUSION, SOCIAL SECURITY AND MIGRATION	www.inclusion.gob.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
FUNDACIÓN DE LAS CAJAS DE AHORROS (SAVINGS BANK FOUNDATION)	www.funcas.es

Asturias

Asturias is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. It covers 10 603.57 km² and, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE)as at 1 January 2021, has 1 011 792 inhabitants, representing a year-on-year variation of -0.69 %. The population density is 95 inhabitants/Km². Asturias has an ageing population; 26.57 % of its inhabitants are over 65, while the under-20 age bracket accounts for 14.49 % of the total.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, there were 440 600 people in the workforce and 396 500 of those were employed. The activity rate is 50.01 %. The unemployment rate stands at 10.01 %. By gender, the unemployment rate was 9.67 % for men and 10.39 % for women.

According to INE data, on 1 January 2021, 45 445 foreigners were living in Asturias, accounting for 4.49 % of the population. 53.78 % of these are women.

According to data provided by the INE (DIRCE 2021), the business community comprises 67 573 companies. The number of companies fell by 1.26 % compared with the previous year. Only 30 116 companies have paid workers. 99.46 % of the companies have fewer than 50 workers. The majority of them are in the services sector (82.97 %) and within this sector, in retail and food and beverages, followed by construction (11.92 %) and industry (5.11 %). By employment figures, the largest companies are Alimerka, ArcelorMittal, Lacera, Hijos de Luis Rodríguez (Masymas), Daorje, Azvase, Thyssenkrupp, Corporación Alimentaria Peñasanta and Asturiana de Zinc. By number of those paying social security, the most prominent activities are retail trade, healthcare activities, food and beverage services and education.

According to the most recent estimated figures from the INE, in 2020, services accounted for 72.27 % of the gross domestic product (GDP) followed by industry (18.84 %), construction (7.02 %) and the primary sector, with 1.87 %. Overall year-on-year GDP variation at market prices is -8.82 %. The last year has seen GDP growth in agriculture (7.39 %), while industry (13.72 %), construction (9.37 %) and services (7.76 %) have declined.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, the number of contracts signed in 2021 was 302 643, an increase of 56 419 (22.91 %) on the same period of the previous year. Women accounted for 49.78 % of total recruitment. Some 9.62 % (29 123) of contracts were permanent. 8.54 % of those hired were foreign nationals, up 34.89 % on the previous year. These contracts were mainly in the services sector, specifically food and beverage businesses and retail trade. The month in which most hiring took place was July (32 955), while the lowest levels of recruitment took place in February (15 294).

By sector, recruitment figures were highest in the services sector (80.88 %), particularly in hotel and restaurant services, trade, building services and gardening, care in residential establishments and transport and warehousing. In the agricultural sector, recruitment centred mainly on livestock farming, while in construction it was in specialised building activities. As for the industrial sector, an important sector which provides a benchmark in the region, the most significant activities are: 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 occupations with the highest levels of recruitment were: salaried waiting staff; cleaners and office assistants, staff in hotels and other establishments, shop assistants and department store assistants, and labourers in the manufacturing industry. Foreigners are recruited in occupations related to hotels and catering, including as salaried waiting staff, kitchen assistants and chefs, office and hotel cleaners and domestic workers.

In December 2021, there were 64 798 unemployed jobseekers (56.83 % women and 43.17 % men). This figure marks a 7.30 % decrease year-on-year. The following economic activities registered the strongest demand in each sector: agriculture and fisheries – agriculture, livestock farming, hunting and related activities; industry – food industry and manufacture of metal products; construction – specialised trades and building construction; services – food and beverage services, retail trade, public administration and defence, and building services and gardening activities.

The jobs most sought after by the unemployed were: shop and department store salespersons; cleaning staff for offices, hotels and other similar establishments; non-customer-facing administrative workers; salaried waiting staff; manufacturing labourers and miners. The occupations attracting unemployed foreign nationals were cleaning staff, salaried waiters, shop and department store salespersons, salaried chefs, construction labourers, domestic workers and manufacturing labourers.

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OCCUPATIONS OBSERVATORY	www.sepe.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es

Canary Islands

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, 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 islands cover 7 446.95 km² and the population was 2 172 944 as at 1 January 2021. The population density of the islands is 291.79 inhabitants per square kilometre, making it the eight most populous autonomous community in Spain.

The population of the Canary Islands has fallen by 0.14 % since 2020. Over the last 5 years it has increased by 3.07 %.

There are 287 826 foreign nationals residing in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, accounting for 13.25 % of the total population. The countries of origin each having more than 13 000 inhabitants coming from those countries and living in the Canary Islands are, in descending order: Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Morocco, Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia.

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 2021), the business community comprises 147 999 registered companies, of which 56.56 % (83 714) have no salaried employees, 35.69 % (52 822) have five workers or fewer and 7.75 % (11 463) have more than five employees. There are only 16 registered companies with more than 1 000 workers and only three 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, Traveltino 2009 SL, Prodalca España, SA, Globalia Travel Club Spain, SLU, COFARTE, SC, as well as transport or tourism businesses such as Fred Olsen, Veturis Travel, SA, Alisios Tours, SL and VacationSpot, SL. In the province of Las Palmas, UNELCO, Dinosol Supermercados SL, Cooperativa Farmaceutica Canaria, Sartón Canarias and Domingo Alonso, SL, are prominent, along with businesses operating in transport and logistics: Binter Canarias, SA, Naviera Armas, SA and Boluda Lines, SA.

According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) data from the fourth quarter of 2021, of the total population aged 16 and over in the Canary Islands (1 938 600), 1 157 100 are economically active, of whom 938 000 are employed and 219 100 unemployed. The employment rate was 18.94 %, 5.61 percentage points above the national average, giving the Canary Islands – together with Extremadura – the second or third highest unemployment rate after the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. By province, the unemployment rate was 19.76 % in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and stood at 18.18 % in Las Palmas. The activity rate reached 59.69 %, a little over one percentage point above the national average (58.65 %).

In 2021, the services sector was the predominant industry, accounting for 82.94 % of registered companies and 86.09 % of the workforce. At national level, the corresponding figures are 80.41 % and 75.86 % respectively.

According to the INE (statistics on travellers and nights spent in tourist areas), 7 613 003 travellers visited the Canary Islands in 2021, a 48.63 % drop in comparison with 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 Public State Employment Service’s Occupations Observatory, in September 2021 there were 202 819 unemployed persons in the Canary Islands (24.72 % fewer than in the same month in 2020), accounting for 6.53 % of the total number of unemployed in Spain. Of these, 88 502 were men and 114 317 were women. 75.65 % were engaged in the services sector, 8.33 % had not worked before, 10.04 % were in construction, 3.87 % were in industry and 2.11 % in agriculture. Compared to December 2020, significant declines were registered in all economic sectors. The rate of unemployed foreign nationals stands at 9.86 %.

SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
ISTAC CANARY ISLAND STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.gobiernodecanarias.org/istac
SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es

Cantabria

The Autonomous Community of Cantabria, situated in the central part of the north of the Iberian Peninsula, covers 5 321 km² and has 284 km of coastline along the Cantabrian Sea. The latest census data shows there are 584 507 inhabitants, constituting a slight increase (0.27 %). This bucks the trend for Spain as a whole, in which the population declined by 0.14 %. The average age is 45 and life expectancy is 83. 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.

Most of the population, and hence economic activity, is found on the coast and on what is known as the ‘Arc of the bay and extension of Besaya’, which encompasses Santander and Torrelavega and the outskirts of these, as the main conurbations. Santander is known for its services sector and Torrelavega 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 1 100 mm and over 1 600 hours of sun. Inland, the climate is more of a moderate, continental climate. Additional information supplementing the census shows that 70 % of commutes from home to work by any means – including walking – take under 20 minutes.

Although 2021 was the year of recovery from the pandemic, it remained a year deeply influenced by the global health crisis. At the beginning of the year, the national economic indicators were positive, especially when compared to the data of the previous year. However, the various ‘waves’ throughout the year have continued to affect life in general and economic activity in particular. While still pending confirmation, the macroeconomic data points to a positive closure to 2021, although it is still a long way off returning to pre-pandemic levels. The Autonomous Community of Cantabria accounts for around 1.1 % of national GDP and is also projected to close the year with increases that are similar to those in the rest of Spain, or even greater. All economic sectors are displaying positive signs, with services, industry and construction leading the recovery. Some sectors driving growth include food, beverage and accommodation services, construction in general, business and personal services, including IT and communications, manufacturing of metal products and education. Per capita income in Cantabria, and in Spain as a whole, has fallen significantly due to the pandemic, with decreases of around 10 % in the two geographical areas. For 2020, per capita income was EUR 22 096 in Cantabria and EUR 23 693 in Spain as a whole.

The most recent update of the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE) shows a total of 38 636 companies in Cantabria, with 44 340 active premises or places of business. Cantabria’s business structure is highly fragmented. In fact, slightly more than half of companies have no employees and, of those that do, 84 % have fewer than six; companies with over 50 workers account for only 1.3 % of the total number of companies. The most common legal forms of companies are sole trader and limited company (SL). From a quantitative standpoint, the region’s main activities are retail and wholesale trade, food and beverage services, building construction and specialised construction activities, land transport, real estate, personal services, healthcare, legal and accounting activities, education and architectural and engineering technical services, which together account for nearly three quarters of active businesses. The number of people paying contributions to the public social security system (216 869) as at 31 December 2021 had increased by almost two percentage points compared with the same month of the previous year. One in five of those registered is self-employed.

This improvement in the Cantabrian Labour Market over the course of 2021 occurred in spite of the severe impact that the pandemic continued to have. The recovery can be in seen 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. The following major employment indicators serve as examples: a rise in the number of those registered as working and in the number of work contracts concluded and, consequently, a reduction in the number of unemployed persons. The LFS data on Cantabria for the fourth quarter of 2021 shows that the activity rate was 54.96 %, and the unemployment rate was 11.52 %, whereas the national figures were 58.65 % and 13.33 %, respectively.

According to information from the Public State Employment Service’s Occupational Observatory in Cantabria, the number of unemployed people recorded as at December 2021 was 36 814. This represents a decrease of 13.64 % year-on-year, and is an example of the aforementioned improvement. The annual recruitment rates in 2021 increased by a considerable 30.88 %. In sum, the regional labour market is recovering.

KINGDOM OF SPAIN	https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es
AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY OF CANTABRIA	www.gobiernodecantabria.es
PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es www.empleacantabria.com
STATISTICS INSTITUTE OF CANTABRIA	www.icane.es
VISIT CANTABRIA	www.turismodecantabria.com

Castile and Leon

Castile and Leon is the largest region in Spain (94 229 km²) and the third largest in the European Union. Administratively, it is organised into nine provinces and more than 2 200 municipalities. It is situated in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula and borders nine of the 17 Spanish autonomous communities, making it a hub of communications with different regions in Spain.

The population of the region is ageing. Over a quarter (25.74 %) are over 65. On 1 January 2021 there were 2 383 139 inhabitants registered according to the municipal register, 11 779 fewer than on the same date in the previous year. There were 144 110 foreign nationals and they represent 6.05 % of the total population. Of these, 62 797 are originally from European countries, mainly Romania and Bulgaria. The majority of African inhabitants are Moroccan, and the nationalities with the highest number from the Americas are Colombian and Venezuelan.

According to the Central Directory of Companies, in 2021, there were 157 131 companies in Castile and Leon, 83.74 % of which had fewer than three employees and only 126 of which had more than 250 employees.

Regional GDP contributed 4.9 % to the national figure in 2020 (estimate) and was spread across the sectors as follows: services 68 %, industry 19.7 %, construction 6.5 % and agriculture 5.8 %. Castile and Leon’s GDP per capita (EUR 23 167) was EUR 1 743 lower than in 2019 and remained lower than the national figure for Spain (EUR 23 693) in 2020. The regional economy appears to have grown by 5.0 % in 2021.

According to the Labour Costs Survey conducted by the INE in the third quarter of 2021, there were 118 888 job vacancies in Spain, of which 6 101 were in Castile and Leon, mainly in the services sector. The salary per worker and per month in Castile and Leon (EUR 1 765.10) is lower than that of Spain as a whole (EUR 1 952.37); the effective hourly cost is EUR 14.79, in comparison with the national average of EUR 16.13.

The region's economically active population stood at 1 102 500 in the fourth quarter of 2021. The number of employed persons was 988 600 and the number of unemployed was 113 900. 6.6 % of the employed population was engaged in agriculture, 16.0 % in industry, 6.7 % in construction and 70.7 % in the services sector. The annual variation rate in employment in Castile and Leon in the fourth quarter of 2021 was 1.23 % compared to the rate in Spain as a whole, which reached 4.35 % compared to the fourth quarter of 2020.

At 10.33 %, unemployment was lower than for Spain as a whole (13.33 %) in the fourth quarter of 2021. The rate for women (12.04 %) was far higher than for men (8.86 %). There were nearly twice as many foreigners (19.02 %) unemployed as Spanish (9.54 %). In terms of age, the rate for those under 25 years of age is 27.27 %, compared with 9.38 % for the over 25s.

According to the Labour Force Survey, in the fourth quarter of 2021, of the total unemployed population, 85.3 % had a full-time contract and 14.7% had a part-time contract. With respect to the working hours, there is a large difference between the sexes; only 6.2 % of men work part-time, while 24.9 % of employed women work part-time.

As for employment stability, 76 % of people in work were on permanent contracts, and 24 % on fixed-term contracts. Although this has increased for both sexes, fixed-term work continues to be lower for men (22.2 %) than for women (26 %).

In December 2021, 912 526 workers were registered with social security, which is 13 410 more than a year earlier; the activities with the highest percentage of workers out of the total are: retail trade (9.67 %), healthcare (6.83 %), food and beverage services (6.35 %); agriculture, livestock, hunting and related services (6.15 %); education (6.15 %); public administration (6.11 %) and food industries (4.31 % compared to 2.2 % in Spain). The average number of registered foreign nationals was 63 814, an increase of 10.52 % (6 077 more, in absolute numbers) compared to the same month of the previous year.

840 551 employment contracts were registered during 2021, 21.49 % more than in the previous year. Of the total hired, 15.29 % were foreign nationals.

The unemployed persons registered in Castile and Leon reached 128 769 at the end of December 2021, which is 23.67 % less than in the same month of the previous year. Of the total number of unemployed persons, 9.60 % were foreign nationals (12 368).

Some of the largest companies located in Castile and Leon (automotive, pharmaceutical, agri-food, agri-livestock, packaging, fuels, foreign exchange) are: Renault España, Grupo Antolín; Michelin España Portugal; Nissan Motor Ibérica; Iveco España; Benteler Ibérica Holding; Grupo Global Exchange; Campofrío; Grupo Europac; GSK; Calidad Pascual; Grupo Siro; Valcarce; Grupo Gullón; Cobadú; Copiso Soria; Ontex Peninsular.

PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
OCCUPATIONS OBSERVATORY	https://www.sepe.es/HomeSepe/que-es-el-sepe/observatorio.html
NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE (INE)	www.ine.es
SOCIAL SECURITY FUND	www.seg-social.es
GOVERNMENT OF CASTILE AND LEON	www.jcyl.es
CASTILE AND LEON ECONOMY	http://www.castillayleoneconomica.es/

Castile-La Mancha

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 km², i.e. 15.70 % of the national territory. According to provisional municipal register data prepared by the INE on 1 January 2021, Castile-La Mancha had a population of 2 049 562 (50.07 % men and 49.93 % women), accounting for 4.33 % of the Spanish total. Its population density was low (26 inhabitants/km²) in comparison with the Spanish average (94 inhabitants/km²). A total of 189 567 foreign nationals were registered in their municipalities of residence, accounting for 9.25 % of the total regional population. The year ended with 1.40 % more foreign nationals.

According to provisional INE data, the GDP at market prices and gross value added (excluding taxes), the regional economy registered 2.55 % growth compared to 2018, which is less than the figure reached at the national level (3.55 %). The largest contribution is made by the services sector at 64.66 %, industry at 19.51 %, agriculture at 8.78 % and construction with the remainder at 7.06 %.

According to the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE), on 1 January 2021 there were 127 673 active companies in Castile-La Mancha (0.81 % less than in 2020). Of these companies, 53.30 % have no paid employees and 39.02 % have between one and five paid employees. Only 0.49 % employ more than 50 workers.

The number of workers registered with social security in the region has increased considerably (3.18 %) compared with the previous year. The largest percentage is concentrated in public administration and defence, compulsory social security (10.18 %), followed by retail trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles (8.92 %), agriculture, livestock farming, hunting and related services (8.78 %), healthcare (6.12 %) and, finally, food and beverage services (5.56 %).

According to the Q4 2021 Labour Force Survey, the economically active population totalled 1 003 300, an increase of 0.84 % compared with the same period of the previous year. This rise was lower than in the rest of Spain (0.97 %). The employed population in Castile-La Mancha was 869 700 (5.81 %), which is higher than the national increase of 4.35 %. The unemployed population decreased by 22.80 % to 133 600. This was above the decrease for Spain as a whole (16.56 %). Castile-La Mancha is the region with the eighth highest unemployment rate (13.31 %), although it remains below the total for the country (13.33 %). With regard to the employment and activity rates, these have improved compared with the same period in 2020 (2.82 % and 0.50 %, respectively), reaching 51.22 % and 59.09 % in 2021.

The majority of the employed population works in the services sector (69.31 %), followed by industry (15.61 %), agriculture (7.62 %) and construction (7.45 %). Employment rose in all sectors, especially in agriculture with 29.24 % more than in the same period of 2020.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, in 2021 the number of jobseekers registered in Castile-La Mancha totalled 146 467, accounting for 4.72 % of the national total. Foreign unemployed persons account for 11.42 %. In total, the number of unemployed persons in the region decreased by 21.37 %, more than the national level (20.12 %).

In 2021, 920 947 employment contracts were registered in Castile-La Mancha, 21.79 % more than in the previous year, an increase higher than that obtained in the country as a whole, which was 21.58 %. The number of foreign workers was 25.56 %, which was greater than the national total (20.36 %).

PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE (INE)	www.ine.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
GOVERNMENT OF CASTILE-LA MANCHA	www.jccm.es
SOCIAL SECURITY FUND	www.seg-social.es

Catalonia

Catalonia is situated in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula. It covers an area measuring 32 108 km², sharing a border with France and Andorra in the north. 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.

According to provisional municipal register data on 1 January 2021, Catalonia’s population totalled 7 763 362, with 3 819 831 men and 3 943 531 women, marking a 0.22 % decrease compared to the previous year’s figures. The population density was 241.8 inhabitants per km². The foreign population residing in Catalonia accounts for 16.11 % of the total, 0.79 % lower than the previous year’s figure. Catalonia accounts for 16.38 % of the total Spanish population. The largest number of inhabitants live in Barcelona (73.61 %), followed by Tarragona (10.59 %), Girona (10.13 %) 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 stands out with 1 636 732 inhabitants.

According to data from the advanced estimate from the National Statistics Institute, the GDP in Q4 2021 increased by 6.9 % year-on-year in Catalonia, above the 4.0 % observed in Q3 2021. The quarter-on-quarter change was 2.2 %. By major sectors, services increased by 8.8 % compared to Q4 2020, construction by 7.8 % and industry by 2.5%. The agricultural sector decreased by 0.4 %. According to the advanced estimate of Q3 2021, trade, transport and hospitality increased by 12.5 % compared with Q3 2020; public administration, education, health and social services increased by 4.1 %, and real estate, professional and other activities by 2.0 %.

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 2021, reached 622 967. The business community comprises mainly small and medium-sized enterprises. 57.66 % of the companies have no salaried workers, 37.90 % have fewer than 10 workers and 0.22 % have more than 199. It is important to note that companies with one or two workers account for 25.87 % of the total. Catalonia is the autonomous community with the most active companies registered in all of Spain, accounting for 18.50 % of the total number. By sector, the majority of companies are in the services sector (82.37 %), particularly in trade, which accounted for 23.37 % of the sector, construction with 12.04 % and industry with the remaining 5.59 %.

According to the Q4 2021 labour force survey conducted by the National Statistics Institute, in Catalonia there are 3 893 600 economically active people, of whom 3 498 100 are employed and 395 400 unemployed. The unemployment rate is 10.16 %, while the employment rate stands at 61.27 %. With respect to Q4 of the previous year, the employed population grew by 4.72 % and the unemployed population decreased by 26.49 %. The majority of the employed population works in the services sector (75.74 %), followed by industry (16.81 %), construction (5.75 %) and agriculture (1.69 %).

In December 2021, there were 3 429 788 social security contributors in Catalonia, 2.24 % more than in December 2020. Of those, 83.65 % contribute under the general social security scheme, 16.19 % as self-employed workers and the remaining 0.16 % under the mariners’ scheme. The five economic activities accounting for the largest number of businesses are retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycles; public administration and defence; mandatory social security; wholesale and agency work, except motor vehicles and motorcycles; health activities and food and beverage services.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, in 2021, a total of 2 772 553 contracts were registered in Catalonia, a positive year-on-year variation of 23.80 %. Of the total number of contacts in Catalonia in 2021, foreign nationals accounted for 24.39 %. In December 2021 there were 369 158 unemployed persons and the annual variation with respect to December 2020 was -25.81 %. The percentage of foreign unemployed persons in 2021 was 19.84 %.

MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
MINISTRY OF INCLUSION, SOCIAL SECURITY AND MIGRATION	www.inclusion.gob.es
GOVERNMENT OF CATALONIA	www.web.gencat.cat
INSTITUT D’ESTADÍSTICA DE CATALUNYA (Statistics Institute of Catalonia)	www.idescat.cat
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF CATALONIA	www.serveiocupacio.gencat.cat
SOCIAL SECURITY	www.seg-social.es
SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es

Valencia

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 215 inhabitants/km², well over the Spanish average of 93 inhabitants/km².

The population of the Autonomous Community of Valencia on 1 January 2021 which, according to Royal Decree 1065/2021 of 30 November, establishes the official population figures from the revision of the Municipal Register, was 5 058 138 people, 0.02 % more than the previous year and representing 10.67 % of the total national population. Women make up 50.74 %. With 751 616 foreign nationals, accounting for 14.86 % of the total population there, this autonomous community is home to the third highest number of foreign nationals in Spain. Women account for 49.77 % of this group. A total of 53.61 % of the foreign nationals are Europeans, mainly from Romania, the United Kingdom, Italy and Bulgaria. The largest numbers from outside the EU are from Morocco, Colombia, Algeria and China.

The initial estimate of GDP for 2020 was EUR 104 724 101 000, putting this autonomous community in fourth place in terms of GDP, behind Madrid, Catalonia and Andalusia. According to AIReF estimates, the GDP at constant prices fell 9.26 % in 2020. Although we appear to be reaching the end of the pandemic, risks of a downturn mainly derive from uncertainty about how long the pandemic will last, and what long-term economic effects it will have. Production in the Autonomous Community of Valencia is heavily dependent on activities related to tourism, the sub-sector most affected by the crisis, especially in the province of Alicante. However, the labour market has shown a good recovery in 2021.

There were approximately 368 044 active companies on 1 January 2021 according to the most recent update of the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE). This amounts to an increase of 0.70 % over the previous year. The services sector accounted for 81.17 % of all active companies. Wholesale and retail companies accounted for 22.57 % of the total, construction for 12.30 % and industry for 6.54 %. According to the national business ranking published in El Economista.es, there are some notable companies in the community of Valencia: the three largest in Alicante, based on sales, profits and number of employees are Sprinter Megacentros del Deporte SL, Balearia Eurolíneas Marítimas and Neumáticos Soledad SL. The three largest companies in Castellón are Grupo Pamesa Cerámica SL, UBE Corporation Europe SAU and Younexa Spain SL (formerly FERRO SPAIN SL). The three largest companies in Valencia are Mercadona SA, Consum Cooperativa V and Anecoop SCOOP.

According to Labour Force Survey data from Q4 2021, there were 2 471 600 economically active persons in Valencia, of whom 46.80% were women. The activity rate of 58.19% is almost the same as the national rate, which is 58.65%. There was an economically active population of 2 115 800, of whom 45.67 % were women. 73.79 % of the employed population were in services, 17.35 % in industry, 6.31 % in construction and 2.55 % in agriculture. In that same quarter, 355 800 of the active population were unemployed, of whom 53,48 % were women. The unemployment rate in the Autonomous Community of Valencia was 14.39 %, almost two percentage points higher than the national rate (13.33 %). The unemployment rate was 16.45 % for women and 12.59 % for men.

On 30 December 2021, a total of 1 975 966 people were registered with social security in the whole autonomous community, a year-on-year variation of 3.08 %. The five best performing economic activities in terms of the number of social security contributors compared with the same month of the previous year were: artistic, recreational and entertainment activities (12.84 %), hotels and catering (9.91 %), ITC (8.80 %), education (5.46 %) and construction (4.77 %). On that same date, there were 358 352 self-employed workers registered in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, accounting for 11.56 % of the total number of social security contributors registered under that system in Spain.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, there were 371 484 registered unemployed persons in the Autonomous Community of Valencia’s public employment service in December 2021, 15.13 % fewer than in December 2020. 59.74 % were women, 7.56 % under the age of 25 and 55.61 % over 45. Broken down by economic sector, 69.40% were registered as unemployed jobseekers in the services sector, 12.44 % in industry, 7.80 % in construction, 6.91 % had no previous employment history and 3.45 % were seeking jobs in agriculture. Lastly, 16.83 % of the unemployed persons were foreign nationals.

With respect to recruitment, the Community of Valencia reported 1 897 819 employment contracts registered in the period between January and December 2021, which was 9.79 % of the total registered in Spain, and marked a 21.87 % drop compared to the same period of 2020. 43.26 % of new contracts were for women, 21.47 % for persons under the age of 25 and 25.31 % for persons aged over 45. The economic activities with the highest recruitment figures were: hospitality, agriculture, warehousing and transport-related activities, trade, food industry, education and building construction. Of the total number of contracts, 23.28 % were given to foreign nationals.

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
OCCUPATIONS OBSERVATORY	www.sepe.es/homesepe/que-es-el-sepe/observatorio.html
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
CENTRAL TREASURY FOR SOCIAL SECURITY	www.seg-social.es
VALENCIA EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING SERVICE	www.labora.gva.es
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL OF THE COMMUNITY OF VALENCIA	www.ces.gva.es
CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE OF ALICANTE, CASTELLÓN AND VALENCIA	www.camaralicante.com, www.camaracs.es www.camaravalencia.com

Extremadura

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 2021, Extremadura’s population stood at 1 059 501 inhabitants, down 0.42 % on the previous year (source: INE). This accounted for 2.24 % of the total population of Spain. This is spread across 388 municipalities. A total of 56.2 % of these have fewer than 1 000 inhabitants, while only 1 in 10 has more than 5 000. With a population density of 25.45 inhabitants/km², Extremadura is one of Spain’s most sparsely populated regions. The foreign proportion of the population is 3.29 %. This rose by nearly 0.63 % in 2021, but is significantly below the national average of 11.48 %. The nationalities with the largest numbers were Romanian, Moroccan and Portuguese. Only 4 out of 10 are from the European Union.

The economic growth of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. However, it was the autonomous community with the smallest decline in its GDP in 2020 in terms of volume (-7.4 %), the most recent available figure. The distribution of gross regional value added per economic sector was as follows: services 69.58 %; industry 13.44 %; construction 7.35 %; and agriculture 9.62 %. In the same period, the GDP of the region was EUR 18 301, EUR 5 692 less than the national average and among the lowest of all the autonomous communities.

The region’s business community consists mostly of micro-enterprises. According to the INE Central Directory of Companies, on 1 January 2021, the number of businesses registered in Extremadura was 66 386, 96.42 % of which had 10 workers or fewer, and over half had no employed workers at all. In 2021, the number of businesses in Extremadura fell by just 1.41 % 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 Q4 2021 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 54.88 %, 44.49 % and 18.94 % respectively whereas the nationwide figures were 58.65 %, 50.83 % and 13.33 %, respectively. Economic activity levels for Extremadura’s foreign residents were higher, especially for non-EU nationals, but employment and unemployment were higher, especially for EU nationals, for whom recorded employment exceeded 53 %, with unemployment at 19.10 %.

In Q4 2021, the number of employed persons in Extremadura was 396 600 persons, growing by only 2.66 % compared with the same period of the previous year. The majority of employed persons (71.1 %) work in the services sector; 10.6 % work in industry, 10.5 % in agriculture and the remaining 7.7 % in construction. On the other hand, in that fourth quarter, the region had 2.67 % fewer social security contributors than in the same month of the previous year, with a rise of 3.09 % for employed workers, and 1.05 % for the self-employed. Most contributors were in the services sector.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, a total of 587 773 new employment contracts were recorded in Extremadura in 2021, 9.64 % of which were for foreigners. Recruitment in the region was up 14.54 % on the same period of the previous year. The growth applied across all economic sectors. Services were most affected with a 28.93 % growth, with about 9 out of 10 contracts being in agriculture and services. Recruitment of foreign workers in the region also rose, although at a somewhat lower rate. The industrial sector recorded an increase of around 19 %, followed at a distance by construction. Almost three of every four contracts signed by foreign workers were registered in the agricultural sector and almost 22 % in the services sector.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, there were 92 203 unemployed persons registered in Extremadura on 31 December 2021. Of these, 3.90 % were foreigners. These figures are 18.17 % and 29.36 % fewer respectively than on the same date of the previous year. Unemployment in Extremadura fell across all economic sectors, compared with the same period of the previous year, especially in the group without previous employment, including among foreigners. However, services (by a large margin) and agriculture were the sectors with the highest concentration of unemployed persons, also among foreigners.

In conclusion, the labour market in Extremadura has experienced a certain amount of growth after the impact of the pandemic on the regional economy in 2020. Activity and employment rates were below the national average, while unemployment was higher. The regional unemployment trend was more positive for foreign workers, especially for those from the EU.

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF EXTREMADURA	www.extremaduratrabaja.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
STATISTICS INSTITUTE OF EXTREMADURA	https://ciudadano.gobex.es/web/ieex
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es/
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL OF EXTREMADURA	www.juntaex.es/cesextremadura

Galicia

Galicia, in the north east of the Iberian peninsula, has an area of 29 574 km². According to the INE, on 1 January 2021 it had 2 695 645 inhabitants, representing a 0.23 % decrease on 2020. Of the total population, 114 534 are foreigners (4.25 %), 1 297 301 (48.13 %) are men and 1 398 344 (51.87 %) women. The natural population decrease was -17 598 and net immigration was 1 620 (figures for the first half of 2021). Population density is 91.19 inhabitants/km², and the population is very unevenly distributed among Galicia’s four provinces: A Coruña 41.59 % (141.08 inhabitants/km²), Pontevedra 34.98 % (209.88 inhabitants/km²), Lugo 12.11 % (33.13 inhabitants/km²) and Ourense 11.31 % (41.96 inhabitants/km²).

GDP at market prices in Galicia in 2020 was EUR 59 105 226, after falling by 8.18 % compared with 2019. It accounted for 5.27 % of national GDP.

In Q4 2021, compared to the same period in 2020, the number of employed persons increased by 0.96 % (from 1 080 900 to 1 091 300); the number of economically active persons increased by 0.23 % (from 1 223 600 to 1 226 400) and the number of unemployed persons decreased by 5.30 %, i.e. 7 600 fewer, bringing the total down to 135 100. There was an increase of 1.94 % in the number of people paying social security contributions, which in absolute terms comes to 19 165 additional contributors, rising from 989 946 on 31 December 2020 to 1 009 111 on the same date in 2021.

According to information from the National Statistics Institute (Central Directory of Companies), in 2021, Galicia’s business community comprised 194 657 companies, mostly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and there were only 10 companies with over 5 000 workers, six in the province of A Coruña, two in Pontevedra, one in Lugo and one in Ourense. Since 2020, the total number of companies has decreased by 1.60 %.

The largest companies in Galicia, both in terms of turnover and number of employees, are: the Inditex group in Arteixo (A Coruña), in the textile sector; Stellantis in Vigo (Pontevedra), in automobile production; Gadisa and Vegalsa in A Coruña, in food distribution; Coren in Ourense, in food processing; Financiera Maderera SA (FINSA) in Santiago (A Coruña), in wood processing.

The most important activities according to number of workers paying social security contributions are: retail, except motor vehicles and motorcycles; healthcare; food and beverage services; public administration and defence; education; specialist construction work; wholesale and agency work, except motor vehicles and motorcycles.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, in December 2021, 79.30% of the 152 584 unemployed jobseekers (19.52% lower than in 2020) in Galicia and 82.03% of the 918 214 contracts registered during 2021 (22.56% more than during the same period the previous year) were registered in the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra. The remaining 20.70 % of jobseekers were distributed quite evenly between Lugo (9.53 %) and Ourense (11.17 %), while, in terms of contracts, Lugo accounted for 9.94 % and Ourense, 8.03 %. A total of 57.57 % of the unemployed were women, and 47.61 % of the contracts were with women. Young people under the age of 30 account for 11.63 % of the unemployed, with a recruitment rate of 31.85 %, while those over 45 account for 57.66 % of registered unemployment, with a recruitment rate of 27.65 %. People with disabilities accounted for 5.54 % of the unemployed persons and were awarded 2.00 % of the contracts. The recruitment rate for foreign nationals was 8.69 % and the unemployment rate for this group was 6.76 %. A total of 48.05 % of unemployed jobseekers are long-term unemployed.

The economic activities with the largest increase in the number of contracts during 2021, and which, in turn, exceed 1% of the total recruitment, are: sporting, recreational and entertainment activities (54.72 %), accommodation services (53.29 %), administrative office activities and other support activities for businesses (43.09 %), creative, artistic and entertainment activities (40.04 %), and food and beverage services (39.97 %). The only economic activity that declined compared with the previous year was postal and courier activities (-2.83 %).

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE OF GALICIA REGIONAL GOVERNMENT OF GALICIA	https://www.ige.eu

Balearic Islands

The Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands comprises the islands of the Balearic archipelago. situated 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 just over 1 173 000 inhabitants, 18.78 % of whom are foreigners, according to the municipal rolls where they are registered. In 2021, the islands registered a 0.12 % increase in population and, according to INE estimates, if this demographic trend continues over the next few years, the Balearic Islands will be, together with Madrid and the Canary Islands, one of the autonomous communities with the fastest increasing population and will have net inward migration.

The Balearic Islands have been one of the regions where the pandemic has had the greatest negative impact due to the high dependency on the tourist sector, but the pandemic being under control and the arrival of European funds mean that forecasts for 2022 are positive. The analysis by the bank BBVA indicates that the Balearic Islands are the autonomous community with the second best growth in GDP for 2022.

In this context, labour market data show an improvement; thus, in Q4 2021, according to Labour Force Survey (LFS) figures, employment stood at 536 900, up 2.50 % on Q4 2020. The number of unemployed fell by 15 900 in one year, taking the rate to 14.90 %, two points lower than in Q4 2020.

From an employment point of view, the business structure of this community is highly atomised in small business units, to the extent that five of every ten companies have just one or two 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. At the end of December 2021, the number of companies registered with social security rose to 37 454, an increase of 3.8 % compared with 2020. More than half of those companies operate in wholesale and retail trade, construction or hospitality. The biggest gains in the numbers of businesses in absolute terms over the past year were in hospitality, construction, transport and warehousing.

429 966 workers were paying social security contributions at the end of the year, 3.57 % more than one year before. The activities with the greatest increases in absolute values were: food and beverage services, building construction, accommodation services, trade and education, with some negative changes, apart from in construction, healthcare and social work activities, and education. Healthcare, financial services and travel agency activities lost the most contributors. The presence of workers from other countries is large, accounting for 17.78 % of payers of social security contributions.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, the number of registered unemployed persons in December 2021 reached 55 974, 33.63 % less than a year before. Foreign unemployed persons had a rate of 23.31 %, which was 11 percentage points above the national level.

As for recruitment, the total number of contracts rose by 42.28% in 2021 compared with 2020. Fixed-term contracts, which are most common in the services sector, have shown the most marked fall. The proportion of foreigners hired during 2021 now stands at 28.53%. The workers most hired were those from Italy, Morocco, Columbia, Romania, Argentina and Germany.

The Balearic labour market presents structural problems, such as high unemployment levels (highest among young people and people aged over 50), long-term unemployment and clear short-term and seasonal characteristics. In addition to these imbalances aggravated by the health crisis, there is a lack of qualified professionals, as well as a gradually ageing population, which makes generational replacement difficult in some sectors.

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY OF THE BALEARIC ISLANDS	http://www.caib.es
EL ECONOMISTA.ES Ranking of Companies	https://ranking-empresas.eleconomista.es/empresas-baleares.html
BALEARIC ISLAND EMPLOYMENT SERVICE (SOIB)	http://www.caib.es/govern/organigrama/area.do?lang=ca&co duo=1464
MAJORCA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE	http://www.cambramallorca.com/
IBIZA AND FORMENTERA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE	http://www.camaraibizayformentera.com/

Autonomous Community of Madrid

The Autonomous Community of Madrid is situated in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is a medium-sized autonomous community in terms of territory, with an area of 8 028 km². In June 2021, it had a population density of 839 inhabitants per km². 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. The population of the autonomous community reached 6 751 251 on 1 January 2021, according to the INE. This population is mainly concentrated in the capital. 14.15 % of its residents are foreign nationals, 52.16 % are women and 47.84 % are men. Compared with the previous year, the population of Madrid fell by 0.42 %.

Madrid’s economy is one of the largest in Spain, mainly because the city of Madrid is the nation’s capital. The effect of the pandemic has been reflected in the economy; according to the first estimate made by the Spanish Regional Accounts (INE) for 2020, the inter-annual variation was -10.02 % in current prices. The Community of Madrid registered the highest GDP per capita in 2020 with 32 048 euros per capita, exceeding the Spanish and European average.

16.25 % of Spanish companies are located in Madrid. This percentage makes it the autonomous community with the second highest number of companies, after Catalonia. The business community shrank by 0.90 % compared with the previous year, according to DIRCE data. 79.69 % of DIRCE companies belong to the services sector, 12.29 % to industry and 8.02 % to construction. The following sectors account for over 2 % of the province’s business activity: wholesale and retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycles; real estate; building construction; legal and accounting work; healthcare; food and beverage services; administrative office work and other auxiliary work for companies; 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.

With regard to people paying social security in December 2021, Madrid has the second largest volume after Catalonia, representing 17.14 % of the whole of Spain. Its inter-annual development was positive, increasing by 3.54 %. The activities that account for over 2 % of contributors in the autonomous community are: retail, except motor vehicles and motorcycles; education; public administration and defence; mandatory social security; food and beverage services; healthcare, wholesale and agent work, except motor vehicles and motorcycles; programming, consulting and other work related to information technology; building and gardening services; home-based work such as employers of domestic staff; specialist construction work; administrative office work and other auxiliary work for companies; land and pipeline transport; legal and accounting work; technical architecture and engineering services; technical testing and analysis; building construction.

According to the LFS, Madrid’s workforce (active population) totalled 3 533 100 in Q4 2021. This figure breaks down as 3 175 600 employed and 357 500 unemployed persons. Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the active population fell slightly (0.41%) and the number of unemployed persons dropped by 25.53%. The employed population grew by 3.52%. The employed population continues the positive trend observed in social security contributions. The unemployment situation is proportionately less serious in the Community of Madrid than in the rest of Spain as the unemployment rate (10.12 %) is below the national average, while the employment rate (56.68 %) is above the average. The breakdown of the occupied population by economic sector confirms the predominance of the services sector, accounting for 84.80 % of Madrid’s population in work, followed by industry (9.30 %) and construction (5.70 %). 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 15.45 % between December 2020 and December 2021. 16.38 % of unemployed jobseekers in Madrid are foreigners. However, Madrid has the third highest volume of unemployed persons after Andalusia and Catalonia. 58.61 % of unemployed persons in the autonomous community are women; 28.45 % are older than 55. Recruitment increased by 31.19 % in 2021 compared to the previous year. 22.06 % of the contracts were awarded to foreign workers. All sectors have registered increases in their recruitment, but to a less significant extent in services and industry.

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
SOCIAL SECURITY CENTRAL TREASURY	www.seg-social.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es

Murcia

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 134.21 inhabitants/km². On 1 January 2021, the population was 1 518 486, a year-on-year increase of 0.48 %. Men account for 50.07 % of the total. Of the total population, 14.64 % were foreign nationals, which was 0.05 % more than in 2020, and the fourth highest percentage in Spain. The main countries of origin were Morocco, Ecuador, the United Kingdom, Romania, Colombia, Bolivia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and China.

The economy of Murcia accounts for 2.7 % of the entire Spanish economy and shrank by 7.3 % in 2020, compared to 9.8 % for the whole of Spain, due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Estimates suggest a 5.2 % increase in 2021 and 2022. This region benefits from its agriculture and food industry, which are by nature essential activities; in industry, the situation is favourable in the production of beverages, leather and footwear, wood and cork, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, metal products, furniture, and the repair and installation of machinery and equipment. Construction is also picking up, both in housing and public works; services, tourism and hospitality, transport and retail trade are also recovering, although at a slower rate than anticipated, while transport is benefiting from the rise in e-commerce. Factors with a negative influence include the price of raw materials, energy costs and stagnation in the supply chain.

The region of Murcia had 43 936 companies in 2021, which represents a drop of 1.52 % compared with the previous year, and the number has been generally decreasing in recent years. 98.27 % of companies have fewer than 50 workers and 79.65 % 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. The cooperative movement is more active in Murcia than the Spanish average; 5 000 new jobs are expected in 2022. The most important sectors are agriculture, trade, hotels and catering, education and healthcare. The industrial sector is growing.

The number of workers paying social security contributions in December 2021 was 602 158, a year-on-year increase of 2.06 %. 68.04 % of these workers are registered under the general scheme and 17.21 % as self-employed (the latter figure rose by 1.28 %). The following are the most important activities based on the number of workers paying social security contributions: agriculture, wholesale and retail trade, food and beverage services, education, specialised construction, public administration, the food industry and land transport.

According to the figures provided by the National Statistics Institute’s labour force survey, in Q4 2021 in Murcia there were 748 500 economically active persons, of whom 651 800 were employed and 96 700 were unemployed. The economic activity rate reached 59.99 % while the unemployment rate stood at 12.92 % – below the Spanish average of 13.33 % – and was higher for women than men. There was a year-on-year decrease of 13.44 % in the number of unemployed persons (Spain, 16.56 %), and employed persons increased by 6.14 %. Employed persons increased in all sectors apart from industry, and increased to a greater extent in agriculture. Unemployment fell for both sexes (though more sharply for women) and across all age brackets, particularly for the under-25s.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, in December 2021 there were 92 421 unemployed persons registered at the employment offices, accounting for 2.98 % of the total nationwide. Of these, nearly 61 % were women. Approximately 17.6 % were under the age of 30, while more than 51.8 % were aged over 45. 12.10 % were foreigners and 49.69 % had been unemployed for more than a year. Registered unemployment decreased by 23.83 % compared with December 2020, similarly to the national total, placing it at pre-pandemic levels. Contracts registered in 2021 (969 169) increased by 12.94 % year on year, although less than in the whole country. Only 33.14 % of contracts were awarded to women, and 45.38 % were awarded to foreigners, the highest percentage in Spain. Only 9.67 % of these were permanent contracts. Nevertheless, contract stability has increased.

Year-on-year growth in 2021 in terms of number of contracts was highest for the following economic activities: creative, artistic and entertainment activities; warehousing and transport support activities; accommodation services; food and beverage services; sporting, recreational and entertainment activities; education; administrative office activities; building services and gardening work; retail trade; manufacture of rubber and plastic products; healthcare; social work activities without accommodation; and land transport.

According to the opinion of a series of experts, agriculture and livestock farming show good prospects along with the food industry, the chemical, pharmaceutical and plastics industry, renewable energy (especially photovoltaic), textiles, leather and footwear, paper, wood and furniture, metal manufacturing and production of IT products. In construction, the same is true in building renovation and energy efficiency improvements. This is also the case in ICT, education, health and social work, artistic and recreational activities, retail trade, hairdressing and beauty, personal care, logistics and transport, trade – especially electronics – as well as the circular economy as a whole.

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
SOCIAL SECURITY CENTRAL TREASURY	www.seg-social.es
MURCIA ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL	www.cesmurcia.es
MURCIA BUSINESS CONFEDERATION (CROEM)	https://croem.es/
MURCIA DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE	www.institutofomentomurcia.es
MURCIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND NAVIGATION	www.camaramurcia.es
MURCIA COOPERATIVE UNION (UCOMUR)	https://ucomur.org/
FUNDACIÓN DE LAS CAJAS DE AHORROS (SAVINGS BANK FOUNDATION)	www.funcas.ceca.es

Navarre

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. According to final municipal registry data as at 1 January 2021, Navarre has a population of 661 537 (327 465 men and 334 072 women), marking a 0.05 % increase on the previous year. There are 71 441 foreign residents, making up 10.80 % of Navarre’s total population. Of these, 33.46 % are from Europe and 30.99 % are from Africa. In terms of gender, men account for 50.45 % of Navarre’s foreign population (36 045 persons). The average age of the population entered on the municipal registers is 44.7 for Spanish nationals and 33.37 for foreign nationals. The number of registered residents in Navarre has grown for six consecutive years.

Navarre’s quarterly accounts for Q4 2021, drawn up by its Statistics Institute, reflect the recovery experienced after the severe impact on the production system of COVID-19 and of the measures adopted to contain the pandemic. Year-on-year change in GDP was 4.7 % compared with the same quarter of the previous year, while employment rose by 4.6 %. Regional GDP contributed 1.82% to the national figure in this period (preliminary estimate) and was spread across the sectors as follows: services with 59.1 %; industry with 31.2 %, construction with 6.7 % and agriculture with 2.9 % (excluding net production taxes). In terms of regional contributions to national-level GDP, industry contributes more and the services sector less. In 2020, Navarre’s per capita GDP stood at EUR 29 314, 123.7 % of the nationwide figure.

There were 44 334 active companies in Navarre, according to the most recent update of the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE). This marks a 0.22 % decrease from last year’s figure. A total of 57.47 % of the companies have no employees. Companies employing between one and five workers account for 34.01 % of the total, 7.54 % have between 6 and 49 workers and 0.98 % employ 50 or more. The companies with the largest turnover in Navarre include Volkswagen Navarra; Siemens Gamesa; Grupo A.N.S.C.; SAS Autosystemtechnik; Nordex Energy; UVESA; Laboratorios Cinfa and Ultracongelados Virto. By sector, the most prominent is services, followed by construction and industry, and the main activities are trade and other services (administrative and support service activities and hospitality, among others).

According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the economic activity rate in Navarre in Q4 2021 was 58.85 %. The rate was 63.24 % for men and 54.59 % for women. The employed population was 287 900, 3.41 % more than the previous year, but was 0.95 % higher if taking into account the figures for Q3 2021. In terms of gender, 52.17 % of the working population is male and 47.83 % female, up 1.14 % and 6.00 % respectively on the same period of the previous year. The unemployment rate, at 9.93 %, was the third lowest of all autonomous communities, decreasing by 1.72 % compared with the fourth quarter of 2020. The unemployment rate was 11.31 % for men and 8.39 % for women. The number of unemployed persons was 31 800, down 4 900 on the previous year (-13.35 %).

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, on 31 December 2021 there were 32 026 unemployed persons registered with the employment offices in Navarre: 21.19 % fewer than in December 2020. 20.91 % of these were foreign nationals.

Contracts registered in Navarre during 2021 reached a total of 362 337, a year-on-year increase of 18.79 %. Of these contracts, 19.86 % were entered into with foreigners in this most recent period.

At the end of December 2021 there were 287 196 workers in Navarre paying social security contributions, marking a year-on-year increase of 1.26 %. The economic activities with the largest numbers of social security contributors are in the industrial sector, agriculture and livestock farming, food and automotive industries and specialised construction. In the services sector, they are retail, education, healthcare, food and beverage services.

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
REGIONAL GOVERNMENT OF NAVARRE	www.navarra.es
STATISTICS INSTITUTE OF NAVARRE	www.cfnavarra.es/estadistica

Basque Country

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 2 213 993 on 1 January 2021, which, after a year-on-year decrease of 0.29 %, accounted for 4.67 % of the total population of Spain. The population density is 306.21 inhabitants/km². By territory, 52.14 % of the population of the Basque Country lives in Bizkaia, 32.79 % in Gipuzkoa and 15.07 % in Araba/Álava. Throughout 2021, the number of foreigners in this community increased by 1.53 %, and represents 8.27 % of the Basque population.

According to Spanish Regional Accounts (CRE) for the year 2020, the Basque Country was the autonomous community with the sixth largest drop in GDP in the country, with an annual GDP growth of -10.9 % compared with -10.8 % of the total Spanish economy. However, it retained the second largest nominal GDP per capita in 2020, behind the Community of Madrid with EUR 30 401, compared with the national average of EUR 23 693.

In 2021, according to the quarterly accounts published by EUSTAT, the Basque Country’s GDP closed the financial year with a year-on-year growth of 5.5 %, marked by a gradual recovery of economic activity, after the health crisis caused by COVID-19. This growth was somewhat greater than that estimated for the Spanish economy and the euro area, with GDP growth of 5.2 %. Industry, transport, and hotels and catering showed the largest growth, in addition to the positive development in exports.

On 14 December 2021, there were 139 824 active companies in the Basque Country: 78.88 % in the services sector, 13.66 % in construction and 7.46 % in industry. 50.91 % of these companies did not have any employees, 39.63 % had fewer than 10, 8.45 % had between 10 and 99, 0.77 % between 100 and 250 and 0.21 % had over 250 employees.

The number of people paying social security contributions in December 2021 rose to 958 624, 1.10 % more than in the previous year, which represented somewhat lower growth than that registered in the whole country, where the number of workers increased by 2.64 %. 17.58 % of workers paying social security contributions were self-employed.

The number of workers affected by collective redundancies between January and November 2021 was 308, a decrease of 34.5 % from the same period of the previous year. In contrast, the number of people affected by temporary lay-offs with contract suspension and reduction of working hours was 1 483, a reduction of 96.6 %.

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, Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa, Sener, Tubacex, Tubos Reunidos, Velatia, Vidrala, etc.

According to the Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate dropped 1.53 percentage points in 2021, standing at 8.43 % in the last quarter of the year. The employed population increased 4 % and the active population increased by 2.27 %, while the number of unemployed persons decreased by 13.46 %.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory,

in 2021, 861 726 recruitments were reported, 22.52 % more than in the previous year, representing 4.45 % of all contracts in the country. Of these contracts, 49.20 % were awarded to women, 35.48 % to those under 30, 28.38 % to those over 45, 14.85 % to foreigners, 3.71 % to long-term jobseekers and 1.87 % to persons with disabilities.

The number of unemployed jobseekers in this autonomous community as at 31 December 2021 fell by 11.14 % to 114 845. Of the total number of unemployed persons, women accounted for 55.39 %, the long-term unemployed for 49.89 %, those over 45 for 52.94 %, those under 30 for 15.69 %, foreigners for 16.16 % and persons with disabilities for 5.05 %.

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
MINISTRY OF INCLUSION, SOCIAL SECURITY AND MIGRATION	www.inclusion.gob.es
BASQUE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.lanbide.euskadi.eus
STATISTICS INSTITUTE OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY	www.eustat.eus
BASQUE GOVERNMENT	www.euskadi.eus
TALENT RECRUITMENT EURAXESS SERVICES	www.bizkaiatalent.eus
DEVELOPMENT OF EMERGING SECTORS EURAXESS SERVICES	www.fomentosansebastian.eus
INNOVATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND CREATIVITY EURAXESS SERVICES	www.innobasque.eus
DEVELOPMENT OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY SCIENCE SYSTEM	www.ikerbasque.net
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION	www.tecnalia.com
EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS OBSERVATORY	https://futurelan.eus/es/

Rioja

Rioja is a single-province Autonomous Community situated in the north of Spain. It borders to the south with the province of Soria, to the south-east with Zaragoza, to the north-east with Navarre, to the north with Alava and to the west with Burgos.

Rioja is Spain’s smallest autonomous community (5 045 km²) and also has the smallest population: 319 796 inhabitants on 1 January 2021, with a population density of 62 inhabitants per km².

After three consecutive years of growth, the population of La Rioja registered a slight year-on-year drop of 0.04 %, i.e. 118 fewer inhabitants. 12.79 % of those registered as residing in the province are foreign nationals. This is more than the national average, which stands at 11.48 %.

Since 2007, the population of La Rioja has increased by 3.50 %, with a much greater increase in women (5.73 %) than men (1.32 %). In the last 5 years, it has increased by 1.40 %.

The community is organised into 174 municipalities, of which 64 have fewer than 100 inhabitants and 14 have more than 3 000 inhabitants; of these 14 municipalities, only five have more thand 10 000 inhabitants. Its capital Logroño, with 150 808 inhabitants, is the most populous city, followed by Calahorra, Arnedo, Haro and Lardero.

According to data from the Central Directory of Companies, the number of companies in La Rioja on 1 January 2020 rose to 22 357, with a reduction of 1.51 % from the previous year, greater than the average of 1.11 % registered in Spain, meaning 343 companies fewer than in the previous year.

53 % of companies have no employees, and of those that do, 89 % have fewer than 10 workers and only 0.64 % have more than 100, reflecting the predominance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region.

Based on number of employees, the most important companies in the region are: Conservas El Cidacos S.A., Grupo Empresarial Palacios Alimentación S.A, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja S.A., Domiberia S.L.U., Alejandro Miguel S.A., Constantia Tobepal S.L., CMP Automotive Assembly Abrera S.L., Compre y compare S.A. and Standard Profil Spain S.A.

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

According to the Labour Force Survey, in Q4 2021, La Rioja’s unemployment rate was 10.45 %, a year-on-year increase of over 2.5 points; its economic activity rate was 59.73 % and the employment rate was 53.49 %.

On 31 December 2021, there were 129 416 workers paying social security contributions in La Rioja, an increase of 1.78 % compared to the same date of the previous year. In Spain, the total number of social security contributors increased to a greater extent, by 2.64 %.

The activities with the greatest number of social security contributors in the province are retail trade, education, agriculture, livestock farming and hunting, food and beverage services and healthcare.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, there were 17 272 unemployed persons as at 31 December 2021, which represents an inter-annual reduction of 21.52 %, similar to the reduction registered in Spain.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, the number of contracts registered in 2021 was 149 869, which is 16.17 % more than in the same period the year before. The increase in Spain as a whole was 21.58 %. 33.13 % of the contracts in La Rioja were awarded to foreign nationals, while in Spain as a whole this figure was 20.36 %.

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
STATISTICS INSTITUTE OF LA RIOJA	www.larioja.org

Ceuta

Ceuta is an autonomous city belonging to Spain, on the African rim of and to the east of the Strait of Gibraltar. It borders on the Mediterranean sea to the north, east and south and shares a border with Morocco on the west and south-west. Ceuta covers an area of 19.48 km². Residents from four different cultures (Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu) live together in this small territory. The urbanised areas occupy the isthmus and the westernmost part of Ceuta (Campo Exterior). The city centre and oldest districts are near the port and on the slopes of Mount Hacho, on a small peninsula known as Almina. According to published INE data on 1 January 2021, the number of inhabitants reached 83 517, 685 fewer than in 2020, of which 50.54 % were men (42 208), and 49.46 % were women (41 309). The population density is 4 304 inhabitants per km2, much greater than the population density of the other autonomous communities. The foreign population of Ceuta on the date indicated was 6.43 % of the total population (5 367), which represents 388 foreigners fewer than in the previous year, mainly due to the closure of the border with Morocco.

The ageing index on 31 December 2021 reached 61.69 %, compared with 129.11 % at the national level.

Thanks to its strategic location, the port of Ceuta plays an important role in the Strait of Gibraltar crossing, and in communications between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its rugged terrain and the shortage of water, energy and raw materials, both the primary sector, with the exception of fisheries, and the secondary sector have little economic weight in Ceuta. The construction sector is also very restricted due to the scarcity of land. However, Ceuta has free port status and a number of tax advantages that benefit trade.

The territory of the Autonomous City of Ceuta accounts for 0.0038 % of the total surface area of Spain and, together with the Autonomous City of Melilla, it is one of the nation’s smallest autonomous territories.

In terms of GDP per capita, which is a good indicator of the quality of life, this was EUR 19 559 in Ceuta in 2020, compared with EUR 25 410 in Spain.

The annual change in the consumer price index (CPI) in Ceuta in December 2021 was 5.5 %, 0.7 % greater than the previous month. This data must be compared with the CPI in Spain, where the annual change in January 2022 was 6.00 %.

According to the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE), the number of active companies in Ceuta dropped to 3 749 in 2021, 96 companies fewer than in 2020 in absolute terms. Of these, 50.84 % have no employees and 31.96 % have between one and two. The largest proportion of those companies are engaged in trade (37.98 %), followed by activities related to hotels and catering (7.81 %), construction (7.65 %) and legal and accounting services (5.46 %).

On 31 December 2021, there were 22 111 workers paying social security contributions. This was 0.66 % more than on the same date of the previous year. The majority, with the exception of the special systems for agriculture and domestic workers, were concentrated within the following activities: public administration and defence, compulsory social security (18.72 %), retail trade, except motor vehicles and motorcycles (13.95 %) and hospitality (7.34 %).

The most recent Labour Force Survey (LFS) showing the quarterly unemployment data at national and regional level sets the unemployment rate in Ceuta in the fourth quarter of 2021 at 26.86 %, the highest in the country. These figures show a slight increase compared with the same period of the previous year, when they were at 26.74 %.

If we compare this data point with the vacancies during the third quarter of 2021, the unemployment rate in the city experienced a drop of several tenths of a percentage point, as it was at 27.07 % during the period from July to September 2021.

When broken down by age, Ceuta has the highest unemployment rate among under 25s, at 40.50 %, showing a decrease compared with the previous quarter (49.99 %) and the same period of the previous year (65.91 %).

The LFS also shows the unemployment percentages for men and women. In Ceuta, the unemployment rate for women in this fourth quarter was 34.52 %, while the rate for men was 20.78 %.

Finally, the activity rate, which indicates the number of persons at working age who want to work, was 56.41 % in the fourth quarter, while it was at 55.70 % during the period from July to September.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, the number of unemployed jobseekers registered in the city on 31 December 2021 fell to 9 854, which in absolute terms represents 3 743 fewer jobseekers than in 2021, exceeding the national year-on-year variation which reached -20.12 %. Foreign unemployed persons account for 12.26 %.

On the same date, according to the Occupations Observatory, a total of 15 761 contracts were registered in Ceuta, 8.36 % of which were entered into with foreign nationals. The year-on-year change in recruitment in the city increased by 7.31 % compared with the same period of the previous year.

The increase in recruitment has affected all economic sectors, although it has increased particularly in the following occupations: supply and inventory control clerks; special needs educators; radio, television and other media broadcasters; architects; and dental assistants.

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
SPANISH NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE	www.ine.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
AUTONOMOUS CITY OF CEUTA	www.ceuta.es

Melilla

The Autonomous City of Melilla is situated in north Africa on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and bordering the Rif region of Morocco. Ceuta covers an area of 13.40 km². A characteristic of the people of Melilla is multiculturalism, a key feature of their identity, in which people from mainland Spain, Hindus, Roma, Jews and people of Rif origin coexist. According to definitive municipal register data compiled by the INE, on 1 January 2021 Melilla had a population of 86 261, of whom 43 603 (50.55 %) were men and 42 658 (49.45 %) were women. The population density was very high, at 6 437 per km². The foreign population in Melilla on that date was 12 611 and accounted for 14.62 % of its total population, down 5.62 % from the previous year.

According to the preliminary estimate of GDP in 2020 drawn up by the INE, the economy of the city of Melilla dropped by 7.0 % in terms of volume, 2.8 percentage points less than for Spain’s economy as a whole. The sectors contributing most to the gross value added (46.6 %) are: public administration and defence; compulsory social security; education; healthcare and social work. The other most important sectors are wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles;, transportation and storage, hospitality with 14.7 %, and real estate accounting for 10.3 %.

According to the Central Directory of Companies (DIRCE), there were 5 024 active companies in Melilla as at 1 January 2021 (4.01 % fewer than on the same date in 2020). Of these, 58.86 % had no employees and 25.84 % had between one and five. The largest proportion of those companies were engaged in trade (41.48 %), activities related to construction (8.10 %), land transport (6.51 %) and hotels and catering (6.25 %).

Workers paying social security contributions on the final day of 2021 decreased by 0.86 % compared with the same date in 2020. The general scheme, apart from the special systems for agriculture and domestic work, has 78.79 % of contributors, and the scheme for self-employed workers has 18.63 %. These are mainly engaged in trade (19.51 %), public administration and defence, compulsory social security (13.78 %), healthcare and social work (13.75 %), administrative activities and business support activities for companies (12.11 %), hotels and catering (8.19 %), and construction (6.95 %).

According to the Q4 2021 Labour Force Survey, the economically active population totalled 40 200, which was a decrease compared with the same period of the previous year as the economically inactive population increased. Among the economically active population, the employed population grew by 2.24 % and the unemployed population fell by 17.35 %, although this amounts to 8 100 persons, making the unemployment rate of 20.24 % the highest in the whole country after Ceuta.

According to information from the SEPE Occupations Observatory, at the end of December 2021, a total of 8 186 unemployed jobseekers were registered in Melilla. The number of unemployed persons in Melilla declined by 15.97 % compared with the same date the previous year. Foreign unemployed persons account for 21.49 % of the total.

According to the Occupations Observatory, in 2021 a total of 20 438 new employment contracts were registered in Melilla, 15.35 % of which were for foreign nationals. Recruitment in the city increased by 16.92 % compared with the previous year, covering all economic sectors except industry, where it fell by 26.26 %.

The recruitment of workers is concentrated in the services and construction sectors, with services hiring almost 9 workers out of every 10, mainly in occupations related to hospitality (cleaning staff, waiters, kitchen assistants), public administration (labour and social education professionals, recreational activity instructors), health and social care (nurses and nursing assistants), trade (shop assistants), building services and gardening work (surveillance assistants) and specialised construction activities (bricklayers and construction labourers).

SPANISH PUBLIC STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE	www.sepe.es
NATIONAL STATISTICS INSTITUTE (INE)	www.ine.es
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL ECONOMY	www.mites.gob.es
AUTONOMOUS CITY OF MELILLA	www.melilla.es

Labour market information: Spain

National Level

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Andalusia

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Aragon

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Asturias

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Canary Islands

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Cantabria

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Castile and Leon

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Castile-La Mancha

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Catalonia

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Valencia

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Extremadura

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Galicia

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Balearic Islands

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Autonomous Community of Madrid

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Murcia

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Navarre

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Basque Country

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Rioja

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Ceuta

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Melilla

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