Z+ (content subject to subscription); The labor market in Spain: What's behind Spain's job miracle

In Spain, 2.8 million new jobs have been created in recent years, and almost 70% of these have been filled by migrants. It's not just a surprising figure; it's a silent revolution that is changing the face of the Spanish economy, often without us noticing. The widespread idea is that employment growth is only the result of the usual recipes: a revival of tourism, public investment, and perhaps a bit of luck. But there is something that goes against every cliché: the real driving force behind the job boom in Spain is not just tourism, it is migration. And this changes everything about how we think about growth, integration, and the future of work in Europe. It is often thought that migrants only occupy the least qualified or temporary positions, and that their presence is a burden or, at most, a temporary solution for jobs that Spaniards no longer want to do. But the real picture is much more multifaceted and powerful: migrants are becoming the lifeblood of employment, pushing the country to levels never before achieved. Take the story of an Argentine bartender who has just opened a new business in Madrid, in the Chamberí district. Her staff is a small world in itself: one person comes from Colombia, another from Honduras. Then there's an IT specialist who answers customer calls: she was born in Bangladesh. And the manager of a dental practice in Nou Barris, Barcelona, came from Venezuela and now has dual citizenship. These are not exceptions: these stories are the new normal in urban Spain. Since 2016, the total number of people employed has risen from 17.8 to 22.2 million: a historic record. And most of that growth, according to the Spanish think tank Funcas, is due precisely to foreign workers. Behind the numbers, however, there are lives that are changing: many of these new jobs are in tourism, of course, but not all are stable or well paid. The real question is whether this migratory push, which today seems like an economic miracle, will hold up over time or whether it risks being just a temporary fix for fragile sectors. But there is another side that is still little discussed: while many European countries see migration as a problem to be managed, Spain has turned it into a real engine of growth. And this challenges the idea that more closed borders mean greater security and prosperity. Perhaps it is not enough to ask whether the Spanish model is sustainable: we must ask why other countries are not learning from what is happening here. The phrase to remember is this: Spain is not growing despite migration, but thanks to migration. If you feel that this perspective concerns you, you can press I'm In on Lara Notes: it's not a like, it's your way of saying that this idea is now part of your way of seeing work and society. And if you happen to tell someone that 70% of new jobs in Spain go to migrants, you can tag it with Shared Offline on Lara Notes — because certain conversations deserve to be captured as moments that really matter. This story comes from DIE ZEIT and has just saved you several minutes of reading.