
Spain’s 2026 hiring outlook reflects cooling growth, high structural unemployment, selective hiring, and continued demand in care, construction, tourism, renewables, and tech.
Spain’s 2026 hiring market is defined by moderating but still positive growth, persistent structural unemployment, selective hiring, and sustained demand in tourism, healthcare, construction, logistics, renewables, and digital roles.
This article provides a qualitative overview of hiring trends in Spain based on publicly available labour market statistics, economic forecasts, and institutional analysis. It is intended to support understanding and workforce planning rather than formal forecasting or statistical prediction. This assessment reflects conditions and projections as of late 2025; labour market outcomes may vary by sector and region and evolve with economic, demographic, or policy changes.
Spain enters 2026 after several years of strong employment gains, but with momentum slowing. National unemployment stood at around 10.5–11% in late 2025, one of the highest rates in the euro area, and forecasts point to stabilisation at elevated levels into 2026. Economic growth is expected to moderate to around 2% in 2026, supporting continued hiring, but at a more selective pace than in the immediate post-pandemic period.
This analysis is most relevant to mid-career professionals, employers, HR leaders, and training providers planning for Spain’s 2026 labour market. It reflects official data and policy settings as of late 2025 and published 2026 outlooks, and is intended for workforce planning rather than formal forecasting.
Despite sustained job creation since 2021, Spain continues to face deep structural labour-market challenges. Skills mismatch, regional disparities, elevated youth unemployment, and sectoral seasonality limit how effectively labour supply meets demand.
Youth unemployment remains several times higher than the rate for prime-age workers, even as employers report persistent difficulty filling technical, care, and skilled-trade roles.
Persistent hiring pressure remains concentrated in:
While vacancies exist, employers are cautious, prioritising roles tied to service continuity, compliance, or near-term productivity.
So what
Nominal wage growth in Spain remained solid through 2024–2025, supported by sectoral bargaining and minimum-wage increases. Heading into 2026, wage growth is expected to slow but remain positive, as inflation converges toward around 2%.
Stronger wage pressure persists in:
In lower-paid sectors, some catch-up pressure remains after the inflation spike of recent years, but many employers increasingly compete through contract stability, scheduling predictability, and progression rather than aggressive base-pay growth.
So what
As growth cools, hiring decisions in 2026 are less expansionary and more disciplined. Many organisations prioritise:
Job postings have eased from post-pandemic highs, but hiring has not collapsed. Demand remains, though filtered through tighter cost and productivity thresholds.
So what
Spain’s labour market remains frictional: unemployment is high overall, yet employers struggle to recruit workers with the right technical, digital, or regulated skills, even as overall job-posting volumes have eased.
Key pressure points include:
EU-funded active labour-market policies and training programmes support reskilling and green/digital transitions, but have not eliminated the gap between labour supply and employer needs.
So what
Recent labour reforms have reduced excessive use of temporary contracts, bringing the temporary-employment rate into the mid-teens. However, segmentation persists, particularly in:
Fixed-discontinuous contracts have become more common in seasonal sectors, changing how temporary work is recorded without eliminating seasonality itself.
So what
Hybrid and flexible work arrangements remain common in professional services, IT, and corporate functions but have largely stabilised rather than expanded.
On-site work continues to dominate healthcare, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, and logistics.
So what
EU-driven requirements around pay transparency, equality, sustainability, and reporting increasingly influence HR strategy. Spain’s strong uptake of EU funding ties workforce practices more closely to compliance, reporting, and programme delivery.
So what
For job seekers
For employers
Platforms like Yotru can support these strategies by making skills visible, standardising employer-ready CVs at scale, and helping employers, institutions, and workforce programmes align candidate experience with real job requirements in Spain’s high-demand roles
Spain’s 2026 labour market reflects adjustment rather than disruption. With unemployment around 10.5–11%, growth near 2%, and persistent skills mismatches, hiring continues but is increasingly selective and role-specific. Organisations and professionals aligned with shortage roles, compliance requirements, and operational readiness are best positioned to succeed.
Banco de España. (2025). Quarterly report on the Spanish economy, Q3 2025. https://www.bde.es
Eurostat. (2025). Unemployment and labour market indicators: Spain, 2024–2025. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
European Commission. (2025). Autumn 2025 economic forecast: Spain. https://economy-finance.ec.europa.eu (country page: Spain)
Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development. (2025). OECD employment outlook 2025: Spain. https://www.oecd.org
Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE). (2025). Labour market statistics and vacancies: Spain 2024–2025. https://www.sepe.es

Team Yotru
Employability Systems & Applied Research
Team Yotru
Employability Systems & Applied Research
We build career tools informed by years working in workforce development, employability programs, and education technology. We work with training providers and workforce organizations to create practical tools for employment and retraining programs—combining labor market insights with real-world application to support effective career development. Follow us on LinkedIn.
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