The number of people affiliated with the tourism sector exceeded 2.5 million and accounted for 12.5% of the total number of people affiliated with the economy.

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Tourism employment rose by 5.4% in December

Social Security affiliates linked to tourism activities increased in December by 5.4% compared to the same month of the previous year – 132,189 more affiliates – to reach over 2.5 million, specifically 2,590,221. Tourism employment now accounts for 12.5% of the total number of affiliates in the country’s economy, which as a whole grew by 2.8% in that month (3.3% in the services sector). About December 2019, the pre-pandemic reference, the growth in tourism employment is 8.1%.

For the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, these data exemplify that “in Spain, temporary employment has fallen and wages have risen, which shows that, in tourism, as in many other sectors, the virtuous circle is taking place whereby we are generating economic prosperity while extending labour rights”.

Growth across the sector
In December, the increase in absolute terms of employment was 132,189 new registered workers compared to the same month of the previous year. This is, moreover, a growth that affects all branches of tourism activity and in all branches of the sector.

While in hotels and catering the increase was 79,163 (19,243 in accommodation services and 59,920 in food and beverage services), in travel agencies and tour operators it reached 4,872. The rest of tourism activities also recorded a rise of 48,154 workers.

Further increase in the number of employees
In December, the number of wage earners in the tourism sector, which represents 80.9% of the total number of affiliated workers in this sector, increased by 6.4% compared with the same month the previous year. Self-employment in tourism, which represents 19.1% of the total number of affiliated workers, increased by 1.1%.

Jordi Hereu describes these data on affiliation as “very encouraging”, “in line with the Government’s policies of continuing to transform our labour market with increasingly qualified jobs, with better working conditions, greater security and more professionalised”.

The Canary Islands, the fastest-growing region
The end of the year has also been a good month at the regional level. In December 2023, employment in the hotel and catering travel agency and tour operator sectors as a whole increased in all the autonomous communities.

In relative terms, the year-on-year increases in the Canary Islands (6.4% more), Andalusia and La Rioja (with an increase of 5.9% in both) and Madrid (5.7% more) stand out.

In absolute figures, the largest increases in November were in Andalusia (16,569 more affiliates), Madrid (13,505), Catalonia (11,484 more affiliates), the Canary Islands (10,147 more affiliates) and Valencia (with an increase of 10,089).