During the summer, employment within the tourism sector in the Canary Islands experienced a 5.9% growth, resulting in a total of 267,801 individuals finding employment. This growth rate ranks as the third lowest among Spanish regions, with only Andalusia (+2.6%) and Asturias (+1.1%) experiencing lower increases. These statistics were released by Turespaña, the Spanish tourism agency.
Breaking down the almost 268,000 people employed in tourism during the third quarter on the islands, 229,739 were employees, while 38,062 were self-employed. This accounted for 9.1% of the total tourism employment in Spain.
In Spain as a whole, tourism employment reached 2.95 million employed persons in the third quarter of the year, marking a 6.5% increase compared to the same period in 2022. This sector now constitutes almost 14% of the total employment in the national economy.
Between July and September 2023, tourism-related activities registered an increase of 180,604 more employees compared to the previous year, representing one out of every four jobs created during this period in the Spanish economy as a whole (720,000). In other words, 25.1% of the new jobs have come from tourism-related activities.
The number of workers active in tourism during the second quarter of the year exceeded three million (3.2 million), marking a 5.5% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. Consequently, those employed in the tourism sector accounted for 13.9% of total employment in the Spanish economy.
The unemployment rate stood at 8.1% in the third quarter, 0.4% less than in the second quarter of this year and lower than in the same quarter of 2022. The ratio of unemployed to active workers among women (8.8%) was higher than among men (7.4%).
Héctor Gómez, the acting Minister of Industry, Trade, and Tourism, emphasized the growth of employees with permanent contracts, stating that it is a significant development in the Spanish tourism industry, highlighting policies that promote secure and well-paid jobs for citizens.
The number of active workers in tourism during the second quarter exceeded three million (3.2 million), marking a 5.5% increase compared to the same period in the previous year. Consequently, those employed in the tourism sector accounted for 13.9% of total employment in the Spanish economy.
The unemployment rate in the third quarter stood at 8.1%, which was 0.4% lower than in the second quarter of the same year and lower than the third quarter of 2022. Among women, the unemployment rate was 8.8%, while among men, it was 7.4%.
Héctor Gómez, the acting Minister of Industry, Trade, and Tourism, emphasized the growth of employees with permanent contracts, stating that it is a significant development in the Spanish tourism industry, highlighting policies that promote secure and well-paid jobs for citizens.
Employment in tourism: increase across all the activities
During the third quarter, all major tourism sectors experienced growth, following a similar trend to the previous quarter. Hotels and restaurants saw a notable increase of 7.7%, attributed to the positive performance of both food and beverage services (7.9%) and accommodation services (7.0%). Passenger transport also witnessed a significant year-on-year change of 10.9%.
The primary growth in the third quarter was observed among wage and salary earners, rising by 10.1% to reach 2.49 million individuals. Wage earners demonstrated growth across all tourism activities, with passenger transport experiencing a 19.4% increase, hotels and restaurants an 11% increase, and other tourism activities a 4.5% increase.
The number of employees in the tourism sector with permanent contracts showed a remarkable surge, increasing by 17.9%, marking the ninth consecutive increase. On the contrary, employees with temporary contracts recorded a decrease of 12.1%. Consequently, the temporary employment rate in the tourism sector dropped to 20.9%, a lower figure compared to the same period the previous year, when it stood at 26.1%.
Regarding the type of working day, full-time employees constituted 77.9% of the total number of employees, experiencing a 9.6% increase. Part-time employees also saw growth, rising by 11.9% and accounting for 22.1%.
The number of self-employed individuals, on the other hand, decreased by 9.1% compared to the same period in 2022, totaling 458,373. This decrease was notable in other tourism activities (-12.3%), passenger transport (-12.9%), and hotels and restaurants (-7%).
Foreign employees in the tourism sector increased to 708,973 employees in the third quarter of 2023, marking a growth of 17.7%. Within this group, the self-employed recorded a decrease of -9.5%, while salaried employees saw a significant increase of 23.6%.
Héctor Gómez emphasized the consistent growth of employees with permanent contracts as a significant milestone in the Spanish tourism industry’s history. He stated that it reflects the positive impact of policies focused on quality and seasonally adjusted tourism offerings, resulting in more secure and better-paid jobs for citizens.
When looking at the autonomous communities, Catalonia (513,831), Madrid (424,390), the Valencian Community (297,481), and the Canary Islands (267,801) registered the highest number of employed individuals from July to September. During this period, employment figures grew in all autonomous communities except the Basque Country, Castile and Leon, Cantabria, and Navarre.
Together, the autonomous communities with the highest tourist flows, including Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Andalusia, the Valencian Community, and Madrid, accounted for 74.6% of the total number of employed persons in the tourism sector during the third quarter.
