Spain reached 2,428,281 employed persons engaged in tourist activities in the first quarter of 2022.
This is a year-on-year increase of 16.8% and represents 349,730 more jobs in the sector than in the same quarter of the previous year, according to data released by the Spanish Tourism Institute (Turespaña).
The reopening of society after the Covid-19 pandemic plays a fundamental role in this growth in employment. According to a statement from the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, activities linked to tourism have created 40% of employment in the last year and represent 12.1% of total employment in the Spanish economy.
The unemployment rate in the tourism sector stood at 11.8% in the first quarter of 2022, which is 2.4% below the same period in 2019.
The six regions that receive the greatest number of tourists (Catalonia, Andalusia, Community of Madrid, Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community) are the ones that generate the most employment in the sector. As a whole, they account for 73.8% of the total number of employed persons in the sector.
Summer season
The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, described these data as "very positive since they confirm the intense recovery of the tourism sector, where the labor market is one of the best indicators".
For the minister, "this recovery is going to be consolidated in the summer season, when pre-pandemic levels could be reached in most vacation destinations thanks to the fact that our country is one of the preferred options for international tourists."
