Spain: Tourism employment surpasses 3 million workers in June

International

Tourism jobs grow by 3% year-on-year, outpacing the overall labour market, according to Turespaña

Employment in Spain's tourism industry continued to expand in June, with the number of workers affiliated with the Social Security system rising above three million for the first time this year. According to the latest figures released by Turespaña, the sector added 87,830 employees compared with June 2025, representing year-on-year growth of 3%.

Tourism employment also outperformed the national labour market, where overall employment increased by 2.8% over the same period. Tourism-related jobs now account for 13.7% of all registered workers in Spain.

Hospitality drives employment growth

The hospitality sector remained the main engine of job creation, adding 49,825 affiliated workers during the month. Accommodation services accounted for 19,418 of the new jobs, while food and beverage services contributed a further 30,407 employees.

Employment figures for travel agencies showed a decline of 1,719 workers. However, Turespaña noted that this does not reflect an actual contraction in the sector, as recent changes to Spain's National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE) have reclassified some activities that were previously recorded under travel agencies into other categories.

Salaried employment continues to rise

Salaried employees, who represent 83.1% of the tourism workforce, increased by 3.2% compared with June last year.

Within hospitality, salaried employment grew by 2.8%, including a 3.3% increase in accommodation services and a 2.6% rise in food and beverage services. Travel agencies and tour operators recorded a 1.6% decline in salaried employment, largely reflecting the statistical impact of the CNAE reclassification.

Self-employed workers, who account for 16.9% of tourism employment, increased by 1.8% year-on-year. In hospitality, self-employment rose by 1.4%, driven by a 17.5% increase in accommodation services, while food and beverage services posted modest growth of 0.1%. The number of self-employed workers in travel agencies declined by 4.3%, again influenced by the revised CNAE classification.

Valencia records the strongest regional growth

Employment in the combined hospitality, travel agency and tour operator sectors increased in every autonomous community during June.

The strongest growth was recorded in the Valencian Community, which added 9,556 affiliated workers. This represented both the largest increase in absolute terms and the highest year-on-year growth rate at 4.3%, making it the best-performing tourism employment market among Spain's regions during the month.