Foreign contributors add more than 200,000 workers in the last year and exceed 3,120,000 employed people

The Social Security registered 3,122,003 foreign contributors in November if the calendar effect is discounted, after adding more than 200,000 in the last year (210,941), an increase of 7.2% year-on-year. In the last month, 21,000 more people were employed.

In the average contributors series, the number of workers from other countries is 3,085,442, which implies growth of 7.3% year-on-year. This is almost five points higher than total contributors as a whole, which has seen an increase of 2.5% over the past year.

The number of workers from Venezuela has grown the most over the last 12 months, with 42,178 more average contributors. It is followed by Colombia (29,771) and Morocco (28,028), which is also the country that contributes the most workers: 370,346 in total.

Overall, foreign contributors account for 14.1% of the total, 0.61% more than in November 2024. In the last year, Asturias (22.1%), Galicia (15.2%) and Extremadura (14.9%) led growth. These are autonomous communities in which the percentage of foreign contributors out of the total is well below the average. In Asturias, they account for 7.4% of contributors; 7.1% in Galicia and 5.2% in Extremadura.

"The contribution of foreign workers to the growth in contributors over the last year is very positive. Their presence is fundamental in some sectors such as the hotel industry and in others it is growing in a very good way, such as in activities with high added value", explains the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz.

General system

The contribution of foreign workers is particularly relevant in some sectors of the General System. This is the case of the hotel and catering industry, where they represent one out of every three employed (28.8% of those contributing), agriculture (25.3%), construction (23.2%), transport (17.8%) and administrative activities (17.6%).

In Transport and Warehousing, foreign contributors grew very significantly, with 31.4% more than a year ago. The number of employed people also increased in Water Supply (14.4%) and Construction (13%), as well as in Agriculture (10.7%), Extractive Industries (10.4%) and Public Administration (11.2%), among others.

But, in addition, the sectors with the highest added value such as Healthcare and Central Services Activities (8%), Financial Activities (7.8%), Information and Communications (6.1%) and Professional and Scientific and Technical Activities (6.2%) also grew significantly.

Record growth of foreign self-employed contributors

In November, the number of self-employed workers from other countries approached half a million and surpassed a new peak. There are 495,635 entrepreneurs, 6.4% more than a year ago. Their growth is well above the average for all self-employed people, which grew by 1.2%.

This increase is even more relevant in highly skilled sectors. In the last year, the number of self-employed foreign workers has increased by 26.4% in Information and Communications, 21% in Energy Supply, 19% in Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities and 14.6% in Financial and Insurance Activities.

Non official translation