Foreign workers comprise nearly half of Spain's bricklaying workforce

Foreign workers and those with dual nationality now represent 47.6% of bricklayers and related professionals in Spain’s construction sector, according to data from the first quarter of 2026. This group saw a 32.4% increase in employment over the past year, while the employment of exclusively Spanish workers grew by only 0.7%.

The reliance on international labor is even more pronounced among construction and mining laborers, where foreign workers and dual nationals constitute 52.6% of the workforce. This shift is driven by a combination of high demand for housing and tourism-related construction, alongside a lack of domestic generational replacement as younger Spaniards show less interest in these trades.

Since 2019, the sector has lost over 22,000 Spanish workers while adding more than 238,000 foreign employees. This demographic change is also visible in specialized trades like electricity, where foreign employment has risen from under 11% before the pandemic to nearly 30% today.