The number of foreign workers in Spain reached a new record in August. More than 3.55 million foreign nationals were registered with the social security system. The regularization of migrants has had a particularly significant impact, bringing numerous previously unrecorded employment relationships into the statistics.
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
by Marlon Gallego Bosbach
More than 3.5 million foreign employees
According to the latest data from the Spanish social security system, 3,551,759 foreign workers were registered in Spain in August. This brought their numbers to a new record high. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of around 15.7 percent.
In contrast, employment among Spanish nationals grew at a significantly slower pace. Growth in this group stood at just 1.1 percent over the same period. Consequently, the number of foreign employees is currently rising roughly 15 times faster than the number of employees with Spanish citizenship.
The share of foreign workers in total employment in Spain now stands at around 15.9 percent.
Regularization provides an additional boost
A key factor in this extraordinary development is the regularization of migrants carried out this year. The process concluded on June 30, 2026, and is already having a significant impact on employment statistics.
According to social security authorities, 337,917 foreign workers have been newly registered since the start of the regularization process. However, this figure does not necessarily mean that so many people have taken up employment for the first time; some of the individuals concerned were likely already working – albeit without official social security registration.
As a result of the regularization, these employment relationships are now officially recorded. This leads to an increase not only in the number of registered employees but also in the number of people contributing to the Spanish social security system.
Around 1.2 million applications received
The scale of the regularization process is significant. A total of around 1.2 million applications were received. Not all proceedings have been concluded yet; therefore, the number of officially registered foreign workers could continue to rise in the coming months.
For the Spanish labor market, this entails a further formalization of employment. Individuals who previously worked – at least in part – in the shadow economy are being integrated into the formal employment system. This brings with it both additional social security contributions and improved labor law protections for the individuals concerned.
Foreign workers drive employment growth
Foreign workers now also play a central role in overall employment growth. According to social security data, the number of foreign workers increased by just under 500,000 within a single year, whereas the figure for Spanish nationals was around 200,000. Consequently, foreign workers accounted for approximately 71 percent of the total growth in employment.
However, this difference must also be viewed against the backdrop of the differing sizes of the two groups. The number of Spanish employees is significantly larger, meaning that even a relatively small percentage increase can correspond to a large absolute figure.
Unusual rise in August
The trend in August is particularly striking. In Spain, this summer month is generally not considered a particularly strong one for the labor market; in many years, seasonal effects even lead to a decline in employment.
In 2026, however, the number of foreign employees bucked the usual trend. In August alone, 39,535 additional foreign employees were registered with the social security system.
This is only the second time that the number of foreign employees has risen so sharply in August. Another exception was 2020, when the labor market saw a temporary, slight recovery during the summer following the slump caused by the pandemic in the spring. However, this trend remained heavily influenced by the restrictions and effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Colombians showing particularly strong growth
The increase spans numerous nationalities. However, the trend among workers from Colombia is particularly striking. Their numbers rose by more than 21,000 in August alone, meaning this group accounts for a significant share of the monthly increase.
Significant increases were also recorded among workers from Peru, Honduras, Paraguay, Senegal, and Pakistan. At the same time, this trend highlights the growing importance of labor migration from Latin America and other regions for the Spanish labor market.
Younger employees, in particular, are joining the workforce
Moreover, the increase is heavily concentrated among younger workers. Of the additional foreign employees registered in August, 22,385 were under the age of 35. Another 14,118 fell into the 35-to-54 age group. In contrast, the increase among those over 54 was just 3,034. Consequently, people under the age of 35 accounted for more than half of the total monthly rise.
For Spain, this development is also relevant in light of the country’s demographic situation. The aging population and the impending retirement of large cohorts are posing growing challenges for the Spanish labor market.
1.4 million additional employed people since the pandemic
The long-term trend also shows a marked shift. Since the coronavirus pandemic, Spain has gained around 1.4 million additional workers registered with the social security system who were born outside the country. Consequently, a significant portion of the employment growth seen in recent years stems from international migration.
However, regarding this figure, a distinction must be made between country of birth and nationality. A person born abroad may now hold Spanish nationality and is therefore no longer counted as a foreign national.
Regularization also changes the statistics
The current record cannot, therefore, be explained solely by a strong influx of new workers. A significant part of the increase stems from the fact that existing employment is being formalized and made statistically visible.
The regularization could thus also have economic implications for the Spanish state. If previously unreported employment relationships are legalized, social security contributions – and potentially other taxes and levies – will flow into the public coffers.
At the same time, the affected employees gain regular status and, with it, better access to labor law protections and social security benefits.
Foreign workers are becoming increasingly important.
The current figures thus underscore a trend that has been emerging in the Spanish labor market for years: foreign workers are contributing an increasingly large share of the country’s employment growth.
The exceptionally sharp rise in 2026 is further amplified by the regularization process. While the number of foreign workers is reaching a new record, employment among Spaniards is growing significantly more slowly.
For Spain, this is not merely a matter of migration but increasingly one of economic and labor market policy as well. These trends demonstrate the extent to which the country has come to rely on foreign labor to fill jobs and drive the growth of its social security system.
