Labour inclusion in Spain

Overview

In the last three decades Spain has become a destination country for many migrants who come to Europe in search of new and better work and life opportunities. In recent years the profile of migrants arriving in the country has been changing. In that regard, the profile of migrant workers switched from low and medium qualification to medium to high qualification producing a growing discrepancy between work offer and demand, mostly due the high demand for low skilled labour as well as the lack of recognition of foreign degrees and failures in the processes of integration of migrant workers in the Spanish labor market. 

Regarding the incorporation of foreign workers in the Spanish labor market as of November 2020, the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration registered a total of 2.069.654 foreigners affiliated to social security. Of the total number of foreign workers, 1.322.318 came from non-EU countries (64%) and the rest (747.336) from EU countries (36%). The largest groups of foreign contributors were from Morocco (861.390), Romania (741.867), Italy (187.776) and Colombia (183.403). Some 56% were men (1.179.861), while 44% were women (918.677). 

According to the Spanish Public Employment Service (SEPE) data, during 2019 most of the foreigners living in Spain were in the service sector, representing 80% of the total. The remaining percentages are distributed among 10% in industry, 9% in construction and 1% in agriculture.  

During 2019, the distribution of contracts made with foreign workers in absolute terms, varies between Regional Governments and provinces. The Regions that register the highest number of contracts are Catalonia (810.671 contracts), Andalusia (669.431), Madrid (582.732), Murcia (470.867) and Valencia (462.404). This last data contrasts with those referred to the regions with the highest proportion of foreigners living in, which, as of January 2020 were the Balearic Islands (19%), Catalonia (16%) and the Valencian Community (15%).  

In Spain, the National Government is responsible for the development of migration policies, while the implementation of these policies is carried out mostly at regional and local level. Although the regional and local authorities have competencies in key immigration-related issues, such as labour integration, education and access to social services, the national government also collaborates in the labor integration of migrants through grants. The grants are mainly financed by both, the Government and EU funds (FSE and FAMI) and are aimed at developing a variety of actions of general interest in the area of immigration. Actions may involve promotion of coexistence and social cohesion, empowerment of foreigner nationals, integrated care needs, assistance in the area of employment, professional trainings and skills development, raising awareness activities among local population, equal treatment and non-discrimination. 

Despite the aforementioned, there are still many migrants working in the Spanish informal economy facing many times situations of great vulnerability which undoubtedly represents a great challenge for the years to come to ensure full integration into the Spanish labor market of all migrant workers ensuring that no worker is deprived from their rights. 

Covid-19

During the Covid-19 pandemic, migrant workers were highly represented in essential activities such as health, domestic services and agriculture, despite the quarantine measures imposed by the Government. This has been recognized by the Government of Spain which, among other measures, granted residence and work authorization for at least two years to all young immigrants who worked in the agricultural sector during the pandemic and which we recognize as one of the good practices to be analyzed. However, many migrant workers, either because of their administrative situation or because they work in other less favored sectors of the market, have not been reached by these policies in response to the Covid-19 crisis, leaving them in a particularly vulnerable situation.  According to the OECD International Migration Outlook report (2020), due the Covid-19 crisis, several aspects of the Spanish migration system were affected with a few exceptions such as cross-border workers, and health care workers travelling to work. Work permit procedures have been prioritised for health care workers and agricultural workers. The same report highlights that all procedures regarding collective recruitment of foreigner migrant workers in origin countries were suspended in 2020, affecting considerably the recruitment of seasonal workers in agriculture.