Business · Economy · 23 hrs ago
Higher-value sectors account for a growing share of Spain’s job gains
Spain’s recent job growth has shifted toward higher-value sectors such as health, professional services and technology.
The change is visible in employment data covering 2019 to the second quarter of 2026.
Spain added a similar amount of employment in that period as from 2014 to 2019, but the jobs came from different sectors.
Higher-value sectors created 52% of new jobs in the recent period, compared with 32.4% in 2014–2019.
By contrast, trade, hospitality and transport made up a smaller share of recent job creation than before.
The shift comes as Spain has backed industrial projects through public-private partnerships called PERTEs, using funding linked to the EU’s Next Generation programme.
The figures suggest Spain’s production model may be changing, although the shift will take sustained effort.
Higher-value sectors accounted for 52% of Spain’s job creation from 2019 to the second quarter of 2026, according to El País.
Their share was 32.4% during the 2014–2019 expansion, when total employment grew by 14%.
Employment grew by 15.2% from 2019 to the second quarter of 2026, a similar overall rate but with growth concentrated in different sectors.
The higher-value group includes health, professional and scientific activities, advanced services, information and communications technology, and finance.
The article says Spain’s industrial policy has used public-private projects known as PERTE to promote sectors such as electric vehicles, renewable energy and semiconductors.
- Who
- Spain’s economy and the sectors creating jobs.
- What
- Higher-value sectors accounted for a growing share of job gains.
- When
- From 2019 to the second quarter of 2026, compared with 2014–2019.
- Where
- Spain.
- Why
- The article links the shift to a changing economic structure and an active industrial policy, including PERTE projects.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Employment in Spain grew by 14%, with higher-value sectors contributing 32.4% of job creation.
The pandemic opened an opportunity for economic change, the article says.
Employment grew by 15.2%, and higher-value sectors contributed 52% of job creation.
- Employment growth, 2014–2019
- 14%
- Employment growth, 2019–second quarter of 2026
- 15.2%
- Higher-value sectors’ share of job creation, 2014–2019
- 32.4%
- Higher-value sectors’ share of job creation, 2019–second quarter of 2026
- 52%
- Next Generation EU transfers for Spain
- Almost €80 billion
- Next Generation EU loans for Spain
- €21.5 billion
1 source
What people are saying
structure is what lasts, everything else is conjuncture