Tourism employment reaches almost 3 million in May with more than 100,000 new workers

The number of Social Security contributors in the tourism sector continued its positive trend in the fifth month of the year. Compared to the same month of the previous year, May 2025 ended with an increase of 3.5%. In this period, contributors linked to tourism activities increased in absolute terms by 101,848 workers, reaching a total figure close to 3 million (2.99 million). In relation to the labour market of the country as a whole - which grew 2.7% year-on-year in May - tourism employment accounted for 13.7% of the total number of contributors.

In May, the variation in the number of contributors was positive in all branches of tourism. In hotels and catering, the increase was 57,994 (18,950 in accommodation services and 39,044 in food and beverage services), while in travel agencies, there was an increase of 2,360 workers. In other tourism activities, the increase was 41,494 workers.

Salaried workers continue to grow

In May, the number of employees in the tourism sector, one of the variables used by the Ministry to evaluate the improvement in the quality of tourism employment, increased 4% compared to the same month of the previous year and represents 83% of the total number of contributors in the sector. By branch of activity, salaried employment increased in travel agencies and tour operators (2.7%) and in hotels and restaurants (3.5%), and within the latter, it increased by 4.4% in accommodation services and by 3.2% in food and beverage services.

Self-employment in tourism, which represents 17% of the total number of contributing workers, increased by 1.3 %. In hotels and restaurants, there was a slight increase (0.4%) with a smaller increase in food and beverage services (0.3%) than in accommodation services (2.7%). In travel agencies, there was a 5.1% year-on-year increase in the number of self-employed people.

The Canary Islands, the fastest growing region

Employment in hotels and catering and travel agencies and tour operators as a whole increased in May in all regions, including the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. In relative terms, the region that grew the most in this period was the Canary Islands, with a 4.1% increase, followed by Andalusia, with 3.8%.

Non official translation