Foreign worker affiliation to Spain’s Social Security system has continued its upward trend over the past year, surpassing 3.12 million employed contributors. In seasonally adjusted terms, 3,122,003 foreign workers were registered in November, representing an increase of 210,941 people year-on-year, equivalent to a 7.2% annual growth rate.
Compared to the previous month, nearly 21,000 additional foreign workers joined the system, confirming a growth pace significantly higher than that of overall employment. In the average affiliation series, the number of foreign workers reached 3,085,442, reflecting a 7.3% year-on-year increase, almost five percentage points above total employment growth, which stood at 2.5%.
By nationality, the largest increase was recorded among workers from Venezuela, with 42,178 additional average contributors over the last twelve months. They were followed by Colombia (+29,771) and Morocco (+28,028), which remains the countries with the highest number of foreign contributors overall, totalling 370,346 workers.
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Foreign employment continues to rise, exceeding 3.12 million contributors to Social Security
Foreign workers currently account for 14.1% of all contributors to the Social Security system, up by 0.61 percentage points compared to November 2024. Regionally, the strongest growth was observed in Asturias (22.1%), Galicia (15.2%) and Extremadura (14.9%), regions where the share of foreign workers remains below the national average.
According to the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, foreign workers play a particularly important role in sectors such as hospitality, where they account for almost 29% of employment, as well as in agriculture, construction, transport, and administrative services. At the same time, their presence is increasing steadily in higher value-added sectors, including healthcare, financial services, information and communications, and professional and scientific activities.
Record growth in self-employed foreign workers
Self-employment among foreign nationals has also reached a new record. In November, 495,635 foreign self-employed workers were registered, representing a 6.4% annual increase, well above the growth rate for self-employment overall.
Growth has been particularly strong in highly skilled sectors such as Information and Communications, Energy Supply, Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities, and Financial and Insurance Services, highlighting the growing contribution of foreign entrepreneurs to Spain’s productive and economic transformation.