Eight out of ten people who have arrived in Spain during this century have joined the workforce

Eight out of ten people who have arrived in Spain this century have joined the workforce, according to the Report on the Reality of Migration in Spain: Priorities for public policies produced by the Economic and Social Council (CES) and presented by its president, Antón Costas, to the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz.

The document, commissioned by the government at the beginning of the year, analyses the structural role of migration in the country's demographic, economic and social development, and will serve as a reference to strengthen a comprehensive, orderly, humanitarian and gender-sensitive migration policy.

The study indicates that Spain will need to incorporate 2.4 million people into the labour market in the next ten years to maintain its productivity level, and that migrants will be essential to meet that demand, due to the foreseeable decline in the native working-age population.

"The Spanish migration model generates shared prosperity, and we are not alone in saying this: our migration policy is recognised in Europe and beyond as an example of balance, efficiency and humanity, and part of this success lies in a conviction: public policies must be based on knowledge", said Saiz.

For his part, Antón Costas stressed that "since 2019, the immigration cycle in Spain has entered a more mature phase. Following the peak reached in 2024, the growth rate moderated in 2025 and is trending downward. The impacts of immigration on growth, employment, productivity and demographics are proving very positive, aided by the reforms to the Immigration Regulations of 2022 and 2024".

The president of the ESC added that "however, public perception of immigration has worsened, possibly due to the concentration in certain areas and insufficient inter-administrative cooperation in managing irregular immigration flows". In this regard, Costas pointed out three necessary actions "to maintain the positive impacts and improve public perception: greater coordination between administrations, and better social integration of migrant women, children and young people, whatever their nationality of origin".

Migration, employment and sustainability

The ESC report confirms that the migrant population now represents one fifth of the resident population in Spain and is essential to sustain economic growth, employment and pensions.

According to the latest Social Security data, foreign workers now account for 7.4% of total registered workers in Asturias, 10.4% in Castilla y León and 7.1% in Galicia, reflecting their key role in the sustainability of the territories with the greatest demographic challenge.

In total, more than 3.1 million foreign nationals currently work in Spain, one million more than in 2018, demonstrating the strength of their contribution to the labor market. Women now account for 43% of all foreign workers, with 1,335,794 registered.

Spain has shown that growth, employment and integration go hand in hand. In this regard, the minister pointed out that integration is the key to making migration "a success story, both personal and collective, and in order to integrate," she stressed, "it is essential to have a regular administrative status".

Social Security affiliation data reveals that employment acts as a lever for integration. The presence of people from other countries in our labour market is growing month by month:

• Foreign employment under the General Regime has grown by 7.3% in the last year.
• The number of self-employed foreign nationals now stands at 494,246, an all-time high (+6.6%).
• High-skilled jobs have grown by 27% in Information and Communications and by 18.8% in scientific and technical professions.
• There are one million more foreign contributors today than in 2018; in fact, three out of every four new jobs created since 2019 have been filled by migrants.

Progress on regularisation and integration

The minister highlighted the progress made with the reform of the Immigration Regulations, which has allowed more than 640,000 people to become legally resident since 2022 thanks to the new residency permits.

Currently, more than 352,000 foreign nationals have a valid residency permit based on long-term ties to the country, 23% more than a year ago. These individuals now represent 10% of all foreign residents, compared to 2% in 2021, an increase of 525% in four years.

Their contribution is not limited to the economic sphere; they also represent demographic rejuvenation: today, one in three births in Spain is to a migrant mother, "these boys and girls are the Spaniards of tomorrow," said Saiz.

Furthermore, the report highlights that immigration in Spain, which is relatively recent, primarily for work and has a young age profile, has had a positive impact on public finances, with a favourable fiscal balance of 0.54% of GDP between 2014 and 2018, according to the OECD. Before the pandemic, says the ESC, it helped to strengthen the welfare state by increasing the labour supply in care work, and after the pandemic, its contribution has spread to sectors such as commerce, hotels and transport.

Gender perspective on migration

The Social Security confirms the growing role of migrant women in the Spanish labour market, where they already account for 43.2% of foreign workers. More than half of the migrant population in Spain are women who face a double vulnerability due to their gender and origin: labour exclusion, poverty, gender-based violence or lack of support networks.

Through the General Secretariat for Migration, the Ministry of Inclusion has 275 specialised places for the care of migrant women and girls who are victims of gender-based violence, trafficking or mental health problems. It also promotes circular migration programmes such as Wafira, which is run by Moroccan women who, in addition to working, are trained in the management of small businesses. In 2025, 3,000 people are expected to participate in this programme.

State Pact and international cooperation

The ESC proposes reaching a State Pact for coexistence, which would guarantee the continuity and coherence of migration policies beyond political cycles. This pact would promote an inclusive society, based on diversity, equal rights and intercultural coexistence, within the framework of the values of the European social model.

The report also highlights the Collective Management of Recruitment at Origin (GECCO), which regulates the arrival of temporary workers from countries of origin. Spain has agreements on labour migration flows with Colombia, Ecuador, Morocco, Mauritania, Ukraine, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Guatemala, among others. These circular migration programmes strengthen international cooperation and make it possible to respond to labour market needs while ensuring safe mobility and protection of workers' rights.

"The ESC's recommendations reinforce our roadmap: regular, orderly and safe migration, with decent employment, guaranteed rights and coexistence based on equality and diversity", the minister concluded.

Commitment to truthful information

The CES emphasises in its report the need to strengthen statistical and verified information on the reality of migration, in order to avoid the spread of fake news and distorted perceptions and to ensure that public policies are based on rigorous and verifiable data.

Minister Saiz stressed that the report responds to an essential conviction: "Today, thousands of people are building their lives in Spain and making this country fairer, more diverse and stronger".

In this regard, the Ministry is working to strengthen social trust through transparency and evidence-based information. Spain has a robust public statistical ecosystem, with the Permanent Immigration Observatory (OPI) and the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE) as benchmarks for policy-making based on real and verifiable data. The IPA has increased the frequency of its statistical operations from biannual to quarterly and acts as a national reference centre for the analysis of migration flows.

In parallel, the Ministry actively combats hate speech on social media through the OBERAXE and its artificial intelligence system FARO, which has detected more than 600,000 racist and xenophobic messages so far this year. In collaboration with platforms such as X, Meta, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, work is being done to ensure the rapid removal of such content.

Non official translation