Spain

Spain is a country of 49.6 million people, and its labour market has been improving for several years. Unemployment has fallen every year – from 13.0% in 2022 to 10.5% in 2025 – but it is still well above the EU average of 6.0%.

Young people have it hardest: 24.9% of people aged 15–24 who want a job do not have one (EU: 15.2%), although this is down from 29.7% in 2022. The employment rate is 72.4% of people aged 20–64, below the EU average of 76.1%.

As an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen you do not need a work permit – you can move, look for a job and work on the same terms as Spaniards. What you do need for most jobs is Spanish: cover letters are written in Spanish unless the job ad says otherwise.

EURES lists the occupation groups with the most shortages in Spain as health professionals, stationary plant and machine operators and agricultural, forestry and fishery labourers. Regions add their own needs, for example:

• Catalonia – medical specialists, nurses, car mechanics, cooks, software developers, heavy truck drivers,
• Madrid – family doctors, nurses, plumbers, waiters, cleaners, bricklayers, welders and other metalworkers, drivers,
• Basque Country – truck drivers and logistics staff, electricians, plumbers, bricklayers, industrial engineers, electronic and mechanical technicians,
• Galicia – waiters, bricklayers, cooks, plumbers, heavy lorry drivers, welders.

The official Catalogue of Hard-to-Fill Occupations (Catálogo de Ocupaciones de Difícil Cobertura) for the third quarter of 2026 lists, in all provinces, building electricians, aluminium, metal and PVC carpenters and fitters, and crane operators – plus merchant-navy jobs and professional sport.

At national level EURES sees more candidates than jobs among science and engineering professionals and business and administration associate professionals – so graduates in these fields face strong competition. Farming hires seasonal workers for the grape harvest (September) and the olive harvest (December/January), and tourist regions hire many people in hotels and restaurants.

Spain has a national public employment service, SEPE (Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal), and an employment service in each autonomous community with local offices. Start here:

• Empléate – the SEPE job portal: it brings together the job offers of its partner portals, has a filter for internship offers and links to the regional employment services,
• EURES – the EU job portal, plus EURES advisers in your home country and in Spain,
• Punto de Acceso General – Empleo público – the search engine for public-sector vacancies; competitions are also published in the official gazette (BOE).

Many companies have a “Trabaja con nosotros” or “Empleo” page on their website. Most vacancies in newspapers appear in the Sunday editions. Networking and personal contacts matter too.

For step-by-step advice on job search, CVs and interviews in any EU country, see our How to find a job abroad – 10 practical guides.

A typical Spanish application has two parts:

• a CV – typed, A4, best kept to two pages; simple sentences, no unexplained abbreviations. A photo is optional. Do not attach copies of your diplomas – bring them to the interview. The Europass CV is a good alternative,
• a cover letter in Spanish (unless the ad says otherwise) – formal, short and written for this specific job, not a standard letter.

The selection process: besides interviews, many employers use job-related tests and psychometric tests – according to EURES, 75% of Spanish companies use psychometric tests. Learn about the company before the interview.

Diplomas: for most jobs the employer judges your qualifications. To work in a regulated profession you need recognition: EU citizens with a degree leading to a regulated profession can apply under the EU directive on professional qualifications. For degrees from outside the EU, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities offers homologation and equivalence (homologación, equivalencia).

• Minimum wage (salario mínimo interprofesional): €1,221 a month or €40.70 a day in 2026, paid in 14 payments – €17,094 a year. Eurostat spreads this over 12 months, which gives €1,425. Temporary and seasonal workers employed for less than 120 days get at least €57.82 a day, domestic workers €9.55 an hour.
• Collective agreements (convenios colectivos) often set higher pay for each sector. You get at least two extra payments a year (pagas extraordinarias), usually at Christmas and in the summer; the agreement sets the amount.
• Working time: at most 40 hours a week on average over the year and normally no more than 9 hours a day. You need at least 12 hours’ rest between working days and a weekly rest of one and a half days. Overtime is limited to 80 hours a year.
• Holidays: at least 30 calendar days of paid leave a year – they cannot be replaced by money.
• Contract: employment contracts must be in writing (with rare exceptions). The probation period is at most 6 months for qualified technicians and 2 months for other workers.

Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland can work in Spain without any permit, just like Spanish students.

• University internships (prácticas académicas externas) are part of your studies and do not have to be paid. Since 1 January 2024 students on internships – paid or unpaid – are registered with the Social Security by the university, company or training centre: you are covered (e.g. for accidents) and the time counts towards your pension.
• After graduation you can be hired on a training contract to gain work experience (contrato formativo); pay follows the collective agreement and may not be lower than the minimum wage.
• Seasonal jobs: tourism and farming hire many extra workers – for example for the grape harvest in September.

Students from outside the EU with a long-term study stay for higher education may work for up to 30 hours a week without a separate work permit, as long as the job is compatible with their studies.

Thinking of studying there first? See Studying in Spain – practical information.

1. Register at the town hall (empadronamiento) of the place where you live, with proof of your accommodation.
2. Registration certificate (certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión): if you stay longer than 3 months, apply within 3 months of arrival at the immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) or a police station in your province. You need form EX-18, your passport or ID card and the fee of €12.00 (form 790, code 012). The certificate shows your foreigner identity number, the NIE.
3. Social Security number: you get it with form TA.1 and your ID; your employer must register you before you start work.
4. Health card (tarjeta sanitaria): once you are registered with the Social Security, ask your local health centre for it.
5. Tax: your employer deducts income tax (IRPF) from your salary. You file a yearly tax return in spring – for income earned in 2025 you generally did not have to file if your work income from one employer was no more than €22,000 (€15,876 with more than one employer, with exceptions).

Problems with your rights as an EU worker? Your Europe Advice and SOLVIT help for free.

If you are not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, you need a residence and work permit. The main routes:

• Graduates of Spanish universities (bachelor’s level or higher) who held a student stay permit can get a residence permit to look for a job or start a business for 24 months (not extendable). You may not work with this permit itself – once you find a job, you need a work permit.
• EU Blue Card – for highly qualified jobs paying at least €41,356.36 gross a year (threshold updated in June 2026). A lower threshold of €33,085.09 applies to shortage occupations in the two highest occupation groups and to people who got their qualification in the last three years.
• Employer-sponsored work permit – the employer applies for you. Jobs on the Catalogue of Hard-to-Fill Occupations make it easier to get this first permit.

All conditions and information sheets are on the Ministry of Inclusion’s migration portal.

• Eurostat – population on 1 January, unemployment by age, employment rate (data for 2025 and 2026),
• EURES – Living and working conditions: Spain, labour market information: Spain,
• SEPE – job offers and the Empléate portal,
• BOE – Royal Decree 126/2026 on the minimum wage for 2026, Catalogue of Hard-to-Fill Occupations, Q3 2026,
• Punto de Acceso General – public-sector jobs,
• Policía Nacional – registration certificate for EU citizens, fees,
• Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration – work during studies, job search after studies, EU Blue Card salary threshold 2026,
• Social Security – internships and Social Security,
• Tax Agency – who must file an income tax return,
• Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities – recognition of foreign degrees,
• Your Europe – working abroad, recognition of professional qualifications.

Updated: October 2026.