Foreigners filled 71.4% of new jobs in Spain

Foreigners filled 71.4% of new jobs in Spain between 2019 and 2024

Who is taking the jobs being created in Spain? A study by Fedea (a Spanish economic research foundation) points to an uncomfortable figure: 71.4% of new jobs generated between 2019 and 2024 went to foreign workers, who now make up 20.7% of the workforce. The report highlights a mismatch between migrants' educational profiles and market vacancies, which are concentrated in construction, hospitality, and low-skilled occupations.

A labor market pushing out young people

During the same period that nearly two million net jobs were created —and unemployment fell by 438,000— a long-standing trend solidified: new positions are not going to young people. 74.7% of created jobs were filled by workers over 50, while around 634,000 roles in the 30-44 age bracket were destroyed. For those aged 45-49, the net gain was just 70,000 jobs.

These figures suggest the Spanish labor market rewards established experience but penalizes entry-level candidates. The share of workers over 50 in the active population has risen five percentage points in five years, reaching 35%. Those unable to find opportunities leave: according to INE (Spain's national statistics institute), 220,443 people left Spain in the first half of 2022, the highest number since the 2013 crisis, with the 25-39 age group most affected.

Why hire foreigners instead of local youth?

Fedea’s study attributes this to education levels. On average, immigrant workers have lower qualifications than natives, directing them toward sectors that do not require degrees. However, some interpret the phenomenon differently: it is not that foreigners take jobs rejected by young people, but that Spain’s productive structure increasingly generates low-quality, poorly paid employment, leaving only these roles available.

Critics of migration policy argue the system functions as a machine replacing native labor with cheaper workers willing to accept worse conditions. A former Inditex HR director summarized this thesis: «We import waiters and construction workers while exporting doctors and engineers». Others note the irony that this same company produces almost entirely outside Spain.

Migration balance as a gauge of discontent

Data on youth departures and foreign worker arrivals show intersecting curves. As the country loses the professionals it trained —doctors, engineers— it imports labor for unskilled sectors. Critics describe this as human capital depletion, eroding social capital and hindering productivity.

Some go further, describing a system needing population growth to sustain consumption and debt repayment. From this perspective, the constant influx of foreign workers is not a model failure but its fuel. The lingering question is whether this fuel can maintain a welfare state already showing signs of exhaustion.

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The conclusion is clear: the Spanish labor market has found a way to grow employment without solving underlying issues. Young people remain excluded, older workers hold on, and newcomers fill the gaps. Given the pace of exits and entries, this equilibrium appears anything but stable.