The highest foreign affiliation in the last decade: two out of every five jobs created in the last year are occupied by foreign workers

The strength of the labor market in recent times has boosted employment among the foreign population. Two out of every five jobs created in the last year are occupied by foreign workers, whose volume has gradually recovered from the collapse suffered after the 2008 crisis and has reached record numbers in the last decade. “There is work and that is essential for attracting the foreign population,” explains sociologist Pau Miret, researcher at the Center for Demographic Studies of the Generalitat of Catalonia.

In September, Social Security gained an average of 10,462 foreign workers compared to the month of August, adding a total of 2,686,990 foreign workers, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Inclusion.. The rebound has returned foreign membership to the upward path it abandoned in July and August, after exceeding 2,698,604 contributors in June, the highest figure in at least fifteen years. Only in the last year, since September 2022, 230,971 jobs occupied by foreign workers have been created, which represents an interannual increase of 9.4% and the largest increase in absolute terms for a ninth month of the year in more than a decade .

The growth in the affiliation of foreigners is framed in a general context of prosperity in the labor market. In the last year, 544,508 jobs have been created in Spain, of which 42.4% are occupied by foreigners. Foreign workers currently represent 12.9% of the total number of Social Security affiliates, which exceeds 20.7 million contributors and stands at record numbers, never before seen in historical series.. Since April 2020, when the pandemic dealt a severe blow to the labor market, the number of workers has grown by more than 2.2 million people, of which a third are foreigners.

“The first thing a migrant looks for before anything else is to find a job that allows them to survive; employment is essential for attracting the foreign population,” notes Miret, who recalls that every immigrant pursues “a better life.” “In Spain we have a low salary level within Europe, but, compared to other countries of origin, the situation is much better,” explains economist Florentino Felgueroso, researcher at the Foundation for Applied Economic Studies (Fedea), who adds Among the attractions of Spain as a country that receives immigration is its security and the offer of social and health services.

A gradual growth

“The membership of foreigners has not grown suddenly, but rather there is an upward trend,” says Felgueroso, who points out that the current record figures are nothing more than the result of the progressive recovery of employment levels prior to the crisis. 2008. Contrary to what is currently happening, the bursting of the real estate bubble three decades ago forced a good part of the immigrant population—and also the national population—to leave Spain due to lack of employment.

After hitting bottom in January 2014, foreign employment has gradually recovered over the last decade, during which the number of foreign workers in Spain has gone from barely exceeding 1.5 million employed people to almost 2. 7 million. That is, in just under ten years, the affiliation of foreigners to Social Security has increased by 70%. Growth has been pronounced after the pandemic with year-on-year increases of more than 8%.

Among the 230,971 foreign jobs created in the last year, 20.5% are occupied by Colombian workers. This is one of the nationalities whose presence has grown the most compared to September 2022, with an increase of 47,373 people. Also noteworthy is the increase in the volume of Venezuelan and Moroccan workers, which has increased by 25,782 and 22,913 people respectively.. These three nationalities are among the five most numerous in the total number of foreign workers (309,639 Moroccans, 171,982 Colombians and 146,126 Venezuelans), along with the Romanian (337,765) and the Italians (182,757).

In addition, 43% of the foreign workers that Social Security has gained in the last year are between 35 and 54 years old, compared to 40.8% under 35 years old and 16.2% over 54. “The population immigrant has been getting older. Many have already been in Spain for years, but increasingly older and younger people are also coming,” says Felgueroso, who adds that the number of migrant women has also grown in recent years.. Currently, women represent 44.5% of foreign workers employed in Spain, while men represent 55.5% of the total.

Hospitality and commerce

The volume of qualified workers has also increased among the immigrant population in recent years.. “Many times they come to fill positions where there are bottlenecks, where we cannot find workers or we do not have enough workers,” says Felgueroso, who gives the health sector as an example.. Health currently employs 107,120 foreign workers. “If they weren't there, the shortage would be even greater,” he adds.

However, Miret highlights that the majority of employed immigrants occupy precarious jobs.. “Foreigners with low qualifications and even those who have high qualifications but cannot validate them look for the jobs they find, which are normally in the most precarious sectors and where there is a broader labor market,” he explains.. “Due to lack of resources, immigrants are willing to accept jobs that are unacceptable for a large part of the national population,” he insists.

In fact, in the last year the sectors that concentrate the most workers are precisely those in which the membership of foreigners has grown the most.. Specifically, the hospitality industry has gained 50,663 foreign workers, while commerce and construction have respectively added 29,158 and 23,264 more employees than a year ago.. The number of foreign self-employed people has also grown by 25,986 people. The majority of foreign self-employed workers are concentrated in the commerce sector, which brings together 101,602 foreign affiliates, and the nationality with the most presence is Chinese, which represents 14.9% of the total.

Support for the economy

“On an economic level, immigration is absolutely fundamental,” emphasizes Felgueroso. The importance that the foreign population plays in the Spanish economy is seen, for example, in the Budget Plan that the Government has recently sent to Brussels, in which it forecasts a growth in Spanish GDP of 2.4% for 2023 and 2% by 2024.

The Executive bases this economic progress on a growth in the Spanish population much higher than the historical average driven by the arrival of the immigrant population. “The demand for migratory flows is driven by demographic change and the positive evolution of the labor market, which generates population growth greater than the growth of the potential labor force,” acknowledges the document sent to the European Commission.

The end of the upward trend in foreign occupation seems not to be near. “As long as there is employment growth, the immigrant population will continue to increase,” says Felgueroso. “In the coming years it is expected that there will be a growth rate similar to the current one or that it may even increase, because in addition, people who travel generate networks and make the path easier for the next ones to come,” explains the economist. while highlighting the “integrative” attitude of the Spanish population towards immigration. “As long as there is employment and there is no visceral rejection by the native population, immigrants will continue to arrive,” he concludes.