Paco Quirós blames staff shortages, but Spain's vacancy figures tell another story

Paco Quirós: «Nobody needs to work» — but the vacancy rate says otherwise

The scene repeats itself across Spain: a packed bar, the owner rushing from table to table, and not a single member of staff. In a neighbourhood Irish pub, a pint now costs six euros, and yet the owner is running the place alone, overwhelmed. It's the image that Paco Quirós, owner of eight restaurants, has turned into a public complaint: «It's a moment when it seems nobody needs to work, and that makes us suffer». But the vacancy data tells a different story.

The vacancy rate dismantles the narrative

The indicator that measures labour shortages is called the vacancy rate: unfilled jobs as a share of total jobs. In Spain it stood at 0.9% in the first quarter of 2026, one of the lowest in the European Union. Only Romania (0.6%) and Poland (0.8%) are lower. The EU average is 2.1%, and the Netherlands hovers around 4%.

In absolute numbers, the first quarter left 159,797 vacancies and the second, 143,359. In a country with unemployment of around 10%. If there really were a general shortage of people willing to work, Spain would have the Dutch rate, not the Romanian one. What exists is a shortage at the wages and hours on offer, which is a very different thing.

The real hourly wage: 4.3 euros

A hospitality worker who puts in 14 hours a day but is only paid for 8 is earning 4.3 euros per hour once holiday pay is prorated. Otherwise it would fall below 4 euros. The sector's average wage is the SMI (Spain's statutory minimum wage). On top of that, most workers' days off are the busiest ones: weekends, long weekends and public holidays. Together, these two things explain the lack of applicants far better than any supposed laziness.

The deeper debate: import workers or change the model?

Some argue the solution is to bring in foreign labour through contracts signed in the workers' home countries. Others contend that the sector is oversized and that propping it up with low wages makes no sense. It is also pointed out that if a businessman owns eight restaurants, it is because he has skimped on labour costs. The middle-ground position: the problem is not that there are no people, but that the work is not worth it.

Meanwhile, the awkward fact remains: Spain has one of the lowest vacancy rates in Europe, yet the businessman insists he cannot find workers. The explanation is not laziness, but price and conditions. And as long as the debate stays framed this way, the scene of the packed bar with the owner on his own will keep repeating itself.