More than 16,300 people hired in Malaga province's retail, hospitality and logistics sectors during Christmas campaign
Labour market platform Randstad estimates a 6.3% increase in employment in the province over the festive period compared to the same dates last year
Hiring at the height of the Christmas season, the busiest shopping period of the year, will rise to 16,360 in the province of Malaga, according to forecasts by employment platform Randstad. This represents a growth of 6.3% compared to the same season last year, i.e. between Black Friday (last Friday of November) and January.
This rise in employment is mostly attributed to the retail, hospitality, logistics and transport sectors. For this year, Randstad experts predict that the growing trend in the hiring of workers will continue as a result of the "good progress of the economy and demand" in Spain.
"The Christmas campaign is one of the most dynamic times in the labour market, with a significant increase in hiring driven by the boom in demand and the intense activity in key sectors such as trade, logistics and hospitality," regional director of temporary employment at Randstad Ana Hervás said, adding that the boost will be especially intense in the hospitality industry, "as a result of the good moment that tourism is experiencing, attracting many national and international visitors to many regions at this time of year".
Randstad forecasts that the hospitality industry will contribute the most due to the strength of tourism
According to Randstad, hospitality establishments are mainly looking for experienced waiters capable of adapting to work peaks in a short period of time, as well as good salespeople and customer service specialists. The most valued qualities are the ability to work as part of a team and the willingness to resolve day-to-day incidents.
The logistics sector is also seen as one of the main drivers of employment. Logistics companies are looking for more workers in order to cope with the typical increase in consumption at this time of year. They mainly look for packers, forklift operators, warehouse workers and drivers, although there is also a need for professionals specialised in customer service, both online and over the phone, fluent in technological tools. The truth, as Randstad states, is that more and more emphasis is being placed on incorporating candidates with digital skills and familiarity with online platforms at this time of year, which applies to all jobs.
The third driver of employment - commerce - will reinforce its workforce with shop assistants and promoters.
The growth in employment in Malaga province this Christmas is slightly higher than that recorded for Andalucía as a whole, where the increase will be 6%, to 78,105 new workers, compared to 73,650 a year earlier. This makes Andalucía the region with the highest volume of Christmas recruitment in Spain, followed by Catalonia (69,670) and Madrid (68,970).
Nearly half a million new recruits in Spain
In Spain as a whole, Randstad forecasts that the festive season will generate 452,950 new jobs, 4.7% more than last year (432,609), which means that both Malaga and Andalucía have better prospects than the Spanish average. Extremadura and Navarra are some of the regions experiencing the highest growth compared to last year, 7.5% and 6.9%, respectively. Meanwhile, the smallest increases will be recorded in Castilla-La Mancha (2.2%), Catalonia (2.5%) and the Basque Country (2.6%).
Within Andalucía, the highest year-on-year growth in hiring was recorded in Almeria (10.10%, up to 9,650) and Cordoba (7.60%, up to over 5,000). Meanwhile, in Seville the rise is 6.2%, to 18,200, which is the number of new seasonal workers in the entire region.
Of the total number of recruitments that will take place this year in Spain, 174,190 will be in the hospitality industry, 160,000 in transport and the remaining 119,000 in commerce.
