Spain sees tourism employment approach 3.1 million thanks to hospitality sector

According to these figures from Turespaña, the tourism labour market is once again "in full swing" this summer.

Employment in the tourism sector accounts for 13.9% of the total number of people registered with Social Security. In July, total employment reached an all-time high of 22.5 million workers, after a 2.8% increase compared with the same month in 2025.

The hospitality sector drove the rise in employment, with 70,409 new registrations: 21,246 in accommodation services and 49,163 in food and drink services.

On the other hand, travel agencies were the exception in July, recording a fall of 1,587 workers. However, the Ministry of Tourism urges caution when interpreting this data, as the decline does not represent an actual figure because it is influenced by changes to the national classification of economic activities.

Looking at the breakdown of employment within the tourism sector, what we see is that the majority consists of salaried work (85%). Compared with July 2025, the number of employees rose by 4.1%, driven mainly by the hospitality sector (4%), but fell by 1.5% in the travel agency sector.

Self-employment in tourism also grew, albeit at a more moderate rate, rising by 1.8% year-on-year. Overall, self-employment in this sector accounts for 15% of the total number of registered workers. Self-employment in the hospitality sector rose by 1.3%, but fell by 4.1% in travel agencies, once again influenced by changes to the CNAE classification.

By region, employment in the hospitality sector, travel agencies and tour operators as a whole increased across Spain, except in Ceuta and Melilla, which lost 17 jobs.

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