Tourism Employment in Spain Reaches Record Levels, But What About Remote Jobs?

As someone who has worked in the hospitality and travel industry, and now as a tech-savvy person who works mainly remotely, I am always looking at the job market to keep up to date or to find better opportunities. However, finding a new job in Spain can be a challenge. Will this situation change as time goes on?

Tourism-related employment in Spain reached an all-time high in December 2024, with an increase of 3.8% compared to December 2023, according to Turespaña. 

This growth added 98,387 new contributors to the social security system, bringing the total to 2.688 million workers, or 12.7% of the country's total employment.

• Growth in the tourism sector:

The tourism industry added 98,387 jobs in December 2024, largely driven by salaried positions, which saw significant growth of 4.4%.

This contrasts with the decline in remote job postings on InfoJobs, which fell by 26% between January and August 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

However, the number of remote job postings in 2024 remained comparable to its peak in 2020, with 232,848 job postings, highlighting the stabilisation of remote working as a viable employment option.

• The remote workforce:

While 12.7% of Spain's workforce is employed in tourism, remote work accounts for 15% of the active population, with over 3.1 million people either occasionally or habitually working from home, according to EPA data.

• Tourism hotspots: Andalusia and the Canary Islands led tourism employment growth with increases of 4.3% and 4.1% respectively. Meanwhile, teleworking is concentrated in urban areas, with 19% of workers in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants teleworking.

• Sectoral dynamics: While 66.5% of tourism jobs are concentrated in hotels and restaurants and travel agencies, remote jobs are strongly represented in IT, Sales and telecommunications, where 70% of jobs offer the flexibility to work from home.

1. The vital role of tourism: 

With 12.7% of Spain's workforce employed in tourism, the sector is vital to the economy, particularly in regions such as Andalusia and the Canary Islands.

2. The resilience of telework: 

Despite a decline in job postings, remote working remains an important option for skilled professionals, particularly in the IT, finance and legal sectors.

3. Synergy potential: 

Combining tourism roles with remote work opportunities, such as virtual travel agents or hybrid tourism planning, could open up new avenues for employment.

This dual growth story reflects a Spain that is adapting to both its traditional strengths and the digital demands of a post-pandemic world.

And it is something of a closed circle - more digital nomads and teleworkers will give more people free time to go out, travel and visit new places.

On the other hand, tourism workers are also experiencing digitalisation and need tech-savvy people to support their business and automation to stay competitive. 

And believe me, both industries are full of young and motivated people, which is the most important thing for both sectors!