Spain tourism employment exceeds 3 million affiliates in September

Tourism-related employment in Spain grew by 4.7% in September, surpassing three million total affiliates according to data from Turespaña. This growth represents 13.7% of the country's total labor market affiliates. The increase was driven largely by the hospitality sector, which added 88,413 workers, including 23,922 in accommodation services and 64,491 in food and beverage services.

In the region of Cantabria, tourism employment rose by 4.3% compared to the same month last year. The region recorded 24,597 total affiliates, including 19,609 salaried employees, marking a 5.5% increase. However, self-employed workers in Cantabria saw a slight decrease of 0.2%.

While data showed a decline in travel agency workers, Turespaña noted this does not necessarily reflect a loss of jobs, but rather changes in the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE), which reclassified certain activities into different categories. Salaried employment within the broader tourism sector rose by 5.2% year-on-year.