2,078,636 average foreign National Insurance contributors recorded in December

In the last month of the year, 106,084 more foreign workers were registered on average than in April, the lowest point of this series during the pandemic. The Spanish social security system recorded 1,972,552 average foreign contributors back in April.

Foreigners account for an average of 10.91% of all National Insurance contributors.

Of the total number of foreign workers contributing to the Spanish social security system, 1,331,206 are from non-EU countries (64.04%) while the other 747,430 are from EU countries (35.96%). The largest groups of foreign workers come from Romania (325,362), Morocco (262,058), Italy (122,569) and China (98,717).

Of the total figure, 1,191,311 (57.31%) were men and 887,325 were women (42.69%).

Average monthly foreign contributors

The average number of foreign workers registered with the Spanish Social Security posted a rise of 4,895 in December in monthly terms. However, only four regions posted a rise in contributor numbers: Andalusia (up 3.52%), Castile-La Mancha (up 2.08%), Rioja (up 1.09%), Madrid (up 0.21%) and the Region of Valencia (up 0.07%). All the other posted lower numbers, particularly Cantabria (down 2.44%), Extremadura (down 2.11%) and the Balearic Islands (down 2.01%).

By regime, the majority of the foreign workers contributing to the Spanish social security system fall under the General Regime (1,710,003), a figure that includes the Special System for Agricultural Workers (232,978) and the Special System for Domestic Workers (163,606). This is followed by the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers (364,818), the Special Regime for Seamen (3,781) and the Special Regime for Coal Workers (34).

Over the month, the General Regime saw an average rise of 0.25% in foreign contributors. The sectors to enjoy the largest rises were Public Administration and Defence, Obligatory Social Security (up 2.62%), Crop and Livestock Farming, Forestry and Fisheries (up 2.15%), Financial Activities and Insurance (up 1.48%) and Transport and Storage (up 1.08%). In contrast, the sectors to post the largest falls were Extractive Industries (down 3.29%), Construction (down 3.11%), Hotel and Catering (down 1.91%) and Real Estate Activities (down 1.23%).

The special systems that make up the General Regime deserve a special mention, such as the Special System for Agricultural Workers, which posted a rise of 3.87% in December, while the Special System for Domestic Workers rose by 0.61%.

For its part, the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers grew by 0.38% in foreign contributors in December to a total of 364,818 workers.

Year-on-year change

The average number of foreign contributors fell by 46,346 on December last year (down 2.18%). Despite this negative variable since the start of the pandemic, six regions posted positive year-on-year figures: Castile-La Mancha (up 2.37%), Galicia (up 1.83%), Murcia (up 1.25%), Asturias (up 0.21%), Andalusia (up 0.11%) and the Region of Valencia (up 0.08%).

Specifically, the number of foreign workers registered under the General Regime of the social security system has fallen by 3.65% over the last year, with particularly high losses in Hotel and Catering (down 22.15%) and Artistic, Recreational and Entertainment Activities (down 17.4%). In contrast, the sectors to enjoy the largest rises in foreign workers were the Supply of Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning (up 12.83%); Health Activities and Central Services (up 9.03%), Financial Activities and Insurance (up 7.24%), Public Administration and Defence, Obligatory Social Security (up 7.05%) and Crop and Livestock Farming, Forestry and Fisheries (up 7%).

Finally, the number of self-employed foreign workers has risen by 5.32% year-on-year.

Non official translation