Tourism employment in Spain surpasses 3 million workers after strong growth in May - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

Employment in Spain's tourism industry continued to expand in May, with the number of affiliated workers surpassing three million for the first time this year. According to the latest data published by Turespaña, tourism employment increased by 87,690 workers compared with May 2025, representing year-on-year growth of 2.9%. The sector now accounts for 13.7% of all registered workers in Spain, slightly outperforming the national labour market, which grew by 2.7% over the same period.

The increase was driven primarily by the hospitality sector and other tourism-related activities, reflecting the continued strength of Spain's tourism industry ahead of the peak summer season.

Hospitality remains the main driver of employment

Hospitality recorded the largest increase, adding 45,202 affiliated workers. Within the sector, accommodation services grew by 19,783 employees, while food and beverage services increased by 25,419 workers.

Employment in other tourism activities also expanded significantly, with an additional 44,040 workers.

The only apparent decline was recorded among travel agencies, where affiliated employment fell by 1,552 workers. Turespaña notes, however, that this does not reflect an actual contraction in the sector but results from revisions to Spain's National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE), which have reclassified some business activities into different categories.

Paid employment continues to expand

Employees accounted for 83.3% of all tourism workers in May, with salaried employment rising by 3.2% compared with the same month last year.

Within hospitality, salaried employment increased by 2.4%, including growth of 3.5% in accommodation services and 2% in food and beverage businesses. In contrast, employment among travel agencies and tour operators declined by 1%, again largely reflecting the statistical impact of the revised CNAE classifications.

Self-employed workers represented 16.7% of total tourism employment and increased by 1.7% year-on-year. Growth was strongest in accommodation services, while the number of self-employed travel agents fell by 5%, also influenced by the sector's statistical reclassification.

Employment rises across all regions

Tourism employment in hospitality, travel agencies and tour operators increased in every Autonomous Community during May.

In absolute terms, Andalusia recorded the largest increase in employment. Measured by percentage growth, the strongest performance came from the Valencian Community, where tourism employment rose by 3.9%, followed by Andalusia and La Rioja.

The latest figures underline the continued resilience of Spain's tourism labour market, with employment growth remaining broad-based across both sectors and regions.

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