Spain to grant more work visas as labour shortages worsen

SPANISH Minister of Social Security and Migration Jose Luis Escriva has announced plans to relax work permit rules for foreigners amid labour shortages in industries like tourism and construction.

This is despite there still being 2.9 million unemployed in the country.

The government’s plan is to grant more temporary visas for sectors that are in need of workers.

“We are evaluating different aspects of the migration law and where there is room for improvement in order to reduce the shortage of workers,” said Escriva.

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The tourism, construction and technology sectors have been particularly badly hit by a lack of workers.

The Spanish government also plans to allow around 50,000 non-EU students to combine work with studying.

It will also be easier to access work permits for people who have family connections in Spain.

The country has temporary migration agreements with Morocco, Ecuador and Colombia and there are plans to extend temporary work visas to other Central American Countries.

The move signals a more general softening of work visa regulations in Spain.

The Spanish government has previously given the green light to new measures to attract digital nomads to make their base in Spain.

They are designed to tempt the sort of workers who can do their job from anywhere in the world – as long they have good wifi.

The move is part of a drive by Spain to attract and retain talent in order to boost the tech start-up scene and transform the nation into a global business hub.

It includes a special visa issued to people moving to Spain to work remotely for foreign companies that will mean they can live here without needing to apply for a full work visa.

It will also allow digital nomads settling in Spain to use a non-resident tax status with lower rates for five years.

It will apply to foreign employees from Non-European Economic Area (EEA) including the UK.

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