The 15 job types that make it easier to get a work visa in Spain

Although Spain is one of the countries with the lowest rates of job vacancies in Europe, the country had 143,868 open positions in September this year, according to EUROSTAT. The most challenging jobs to fill include sectors such as information and communication technologies, renewable energies, healthcare, hospitality, construction, fishing, and metal repairs, as reported by SchengenVisaInfo.com.

Compared to last year, the number of openings seems to be higher this year. In the fourth quarter of 2022, companies in Spain estimated that they had 140,517 job vacancies, which were almost exclusively concentrated in the services sector, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).

In March this year, Spain needed over 60,000 additional workers in the hospitality sector, which represented an increase of 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year, though, by the third quarter of 2023, three million people were employed in the tourism sector in Spain.

At a national level, the top 15 in-demand occupations in Spain are:

· Data analysts

· Computer engineers

· Big data and security IT technicians

· Engineers with expertise in renewable energy

· Experts in business intelligence and data mining

· Plumbers

· Bricklayers

· Carpenters

· Nurses

· Healthcare assistants

· Technical specialists in healthcare

· Waiters/waitresses

· Cooks/chefs

· Truck drivers

· Forklift drivers

However, the same industries also have a large number of openings in lower-skilled occupations, according to EURES.

Whereas the most in-demand jobs in each region of Spain include sectors as follows:

Andalusia: tourism and hospitality, healthcare and technology.

Aragon: agriculture, logistics and construction.

Asturias: construction and skilled trades, service and hospitality, and healthcare.

Canary Islands: tourism, hospitality, healthcare, media and film industry.

Cantabria: healthcare, construction and skilled trades, and technology.

Castillo y Leon: healthcare, construction and transportation.

Castillo-La Mancha: agriculture and food industry, healthcare, and construction.

Catalonia: hospitality and service, healthcare, and transportation.

Valencia: healthcare, construction and technology.

Extremadura: Health and social care, hospitality, construction and transportation.

Galicia: education, healthcare, construction and transportation.

Balearic Islands: construction, services, and technology.

Foreigners who belong to these occupations may have a higher chance of obtaining a Spanish work visa due to the country’s dire need to fill these positions.

Citizens of EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, are exempt from applying for a work visa or any other type of Spanish long-stay visa, they can simply move to Spain, get a job, and then get their residence permit.

Professions that make it harder for foreigners to move to Spain through a work visa:
Apart from labour shortages in certain sectors, Spain is dealing with a labour surplus mainly in low-skilled occupations and public employment services.

The number of individuals searching for employment in low-skilled occupations is higher compared to vacancies related to public employment services.

This implies that Spain, at a national level, has more job seekers than job vacancies in occupations related to manufacturing labourers and freight handlers in the services sector, such as office cleaners, helpers, shop sales assistants, clerical support workers, construction labourers, and cashiers, along with ticket clerks.

Which are the highest-paid job positions in Spain?
Among the top in-demand jobs in Spain mentioned above, the highest-paying ones are those related to technology, while the less-paying ones include job positions in the hospitality industry.

According to the Economic Research Institute (ERI), the annual average salary for the specific job positions is as follows: cyber security engineer (€77,577), computer engineer (€63,194), business intelligence analyst (€59,818), and data analyst (€56,121).

Occupations related to healthcare have annual average salaries as follows: registered nurse (€39,514), medical assistant (€22,728) and medical consultant (€62,465).

As per occupations related to construction, the average salaries per year are as follows: for a plumber, it is €39,384, for a bricklayer, it is €38,020, and for a carpenter, it is €31,259.

On the other hand, the average salary per year for a cook in Spain is estimated at €20,312, whereas for waiting staff, it is €17,976.

The minimum wage in Spain for 2023 is estimated to be €1,260, while the monthly average salary is €2,263.

How much does it cost to live in Spain?
According to EURES, Spain boasts the fourth-largest economy in the European Union and holds the 14th position globally in nominal gross domestic product (GDP).

Despite not being listed among the top ten expensive countries to reside in, living costs in Spain, although not excessively high, should not be underestimated. Currently, Spain is Europe’s 26th most expensive country and the 57th worldwide.

Based on data provided by Numbero, for a single person, the estimated monthly cost of living, including a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre, is €1,439. However, living in an apartment outside the city centre costs less, so the estimated monthly expenses would be €1,295.

Meanwhile, for a family of four living in a three-bedroom apartment in the city centre, the estimated cost of living for a month is €3,633. Of course, the monthly expenses are lower if the same size apartment is located outside the city centre, estimated at €3,325.