Spain's private care homes lose staff to public sector amid chronic shortage

Private residential care facilities in Spain are experiencing a persistent loss of nurses, caregivers and aides to the public health and social services system. The exodus, traditionally explained as a seasonal effect, has become a structural problem linked to low public funding for contracted places, which leaves private operators with limited margins to improve wages or staffing levels.

Ignacio Fernández‑Cid, president of the Federation Empresarial de la Dependencia (FED), estimates a deficit of around 160,000 care workers and warns that the shortfall could grow sharply without urgent measures. He attributes the shortage to the fixed public price paid for each place, which does not keep pace with real service costs such as personnel, food, energy and regulatory compliance. As a result, private homes cannot compete with public hospitals and social services that offer better conditions and career prospects, leading to high vacancy rates despite low overall unemployment among care professionals.