Employment in Spain’s tourism sector continues to show steady growth after the end of the summer season. In September 2025, the number of Social Security contributors in tourism-related activities reached 2,925,229, representing a 2.2% increase compared with the same month last year, according to Turespaña.
In absolute terms, the sector added 62,998 new workers, consolidating its role as one of the country’s key employment drivers. Tourism now accounts for 13.5% of all Social Security registrations nationwide.
Tourism employment in Spain
All branches of the sector saw positive results. Hospitality recorded an increase of 25,977 contributors, including 13,148 in accommodation services and 12,829 in food and beverage services. Travel agencies and tour operators grew by 1,415 workers, while other tourism-related activities added 35,606 employees.
TDB keeps you informed. Follow us on: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Salaried workers drive job creation in the tourism sector
Salaried employment —which represents 82.6% of the total workforce in the sector— grew by 2.5% year-on-year in September. Within hospitality, jobs increased by 1.6%, with growth of 2.9% in accommodation services and 1.1% in food and beverage services. Employment in travel agencies and tour operators also rose by 1.6%.
Self-employment, which accounts for 17.4% of total workers in the sector, rose by 0.8% overall. In hospitality, the increase was 0.2%, while travel agencies saw a stronger rise of 3.2% in self-employed professionals.
Combined, hospitality and travel services —which together represent 68.5% of all tourism employment— posted a 1.4% year-on-year increase in September.
Canary Islands and Valencia lead employment growth
Tourism employment grew across almost all regions, except for Castilla-La Mancha, Navarra, Extremadura, and Aragón. In absolute terms, Andalusia recorded the largest increase with 7,527 new contributors, while the Canary Islands (2.6%) and the Valencian Community (2.5%) posted the strongest relative growth.
These figures confirm the resilience of Spain’s tourism industry and its key contribution to national employment and economic stability, even beyond the summer season.