NEW figures reveal that 3.25 million foreign workers are now registered in Spain’s Social Security system, the highest total since records began in 2012.
The data, from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, come after Spain added 96,684 foreign workers in April alone, easily beating previous April records.
It is also the highest figure ever recorded, for any month of the year.
Despite the sharp rise, the government says the numbers do not yet reflect the impact of Pedro Sanchez’s migrant regularisation programme, which came into force on April 16 and is expected to legalise the status of thousands of migrants already living in Spain.
Officials insist there has not been enough time for applications to be processed, meaning the real effects of the programme are likely to become more visible during the summer.
Moroccans accounted for the biggest rise in new jobs, with 16,817 new registrations, followed by Colombians with 11,459.
Italians, Venezuelans, Peruvians and Senegalese workers also recorded strong increases.
Over the last year, foreign employment in Spain has grown by more than 250,000 jobs, representing an annual rise of 8.4%. By comparison, the number of Spanish workers increased by 1.4% over the same period.
Hospitality was once again the biggest driver of growth, with bars and restaurants adding more than 42,000 foreign workers in April alone.
Foreign employees now make up around 30% of the sector’s workforce.
Agriculture also saw a strong increase, with more than 11,600 foreign workers joining the sector during the month.
Foreign nationals now account for 41% of agricultural employees in Spain.
The government also highlighted growing numbers of foreign entrepreneurs and self-employed workers, particularly in technology and telecommunications.
Social Security Minister Elma Saiz said foreign workers are becoming increasingly present across a wider range of industries, especially in computer programming and telecoms, where they already represent almost a third of the workforce.
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