The increase in tourism employment comes in a context where job growth has shown signs of stability and expansion in prior quarters, a trajectory reinforced by this latest 2025 result. The year-over-year rise is evident not only in the overall number of people employed, but also in the contract mix: employees with permanent contracts rose by 4.4%, marking eighteen consecutive quarters of growth in this type of hiring within tourism, and signaling a structural improvement in job quality.
From both a regional and industry standpoint, the data also point to a growing share of foreign workers in the sector, reflecting the international and cross-cutting nature of tourism activity. In the final quarter of 2025, foreign nationals employed in tourism reached significant levels, with increases recorded across several tourism-related branches of activity. At the same time, the number of self-employed workers showed some variation, including declines in certain segments, illustrating the challenges and adjustment processes faced by specific subsectors such as hospitality and passenger transport.
Tourism employment must also be considered within Spain’s broader labor-market context. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the overall unemployment rate stood at around 9.9%, slightly above the rate recorded specifically in tourism, which was 9.3%. This indicates that, while challenges remain in labor-market integration overall, tourism continues to post comparatively favorable resilience indicators versus the economy-wide average.
Industry experts and analysts emphasize that these results reflect the underlying strength of Spanish tourism, which has adapted effectively to the aftereffects of the pandemic and to shifts in international demand in recent years. Following the sharp contractions in employment and tourism activity during the public health crisis, the gradual and sustained recovery has meant that tourism has not only returned to pre-pandemic employment levels in many cases, but has also, at certain points in the year, exceeded historical benchmarks and made a meaningful contribution to job creation.
Moreover, maintaining high employment levels in tourism generates a multiplier effect across the economy, especially in linked industries such as hospitality, transportation, travel agencies, and cultural and leisure services, all of which depend directly on tourism flows. The expansion of stable employment—particularly through permanent contracts—helps strengthen social cohesion and supports domestic consumption, fostering a more sustainable and balanced economic cycle.
The figure of more than three million people employed in tourism in the final quarter of 2025 is not only a noteworthy statistical outcome; it also reflects tourism’s central role in Spain’s productive fabric. The sector remains a cornerstone of the Spanish economy, with a proven capacity to generate employment on an ongoing basis and to adapt to a rapidly changing global environment, contributing both to social well-being and to economic growth across Spain’s regions and the country as a whole.
