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Pay and working conditions in European countries

Spain

Country: Spain

Spain’s minimum wage is €1,221 a month in 14 payments (2026), the week is at most 40 hours and you get at least 30 calendar days of paid holiday. Unemployment has fallen from 13.0% in 2022 to 10.5% in 2025, but is still well above the EU average of 6.0%. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply in Spanish and how to get your NIE and registration certificate.

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.

published: 2014-09-02
last modification: 2026-10-03

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Key figures: Eurostat (population on 1 January 2026; unemployment and employment rates 2025; minimum wages July 2026); for the United Kingdom – Office for National Statistics; for Liechtenstein – national statistics. Country information: EURES – Living and working conditions, public employment services and the official government websites listed under each country. Rules, thresholds and amounts can change – check the official sources before you move. Updated: October 2026.

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