How Can I Work in Spain? Guide for Contractors

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If you’re asking, ‘How can I work in Spain?’ you will need to understand how to navigate the Spanish immigration, taxation and legislative system.

This guide will provide you with a better understanding of the labor market in Spain, in terms of which sectors and skills are sought after. Most importantly, you’ll learn how you can make contracting in Spain work for you.

1) Research Spain’s Economy and Job Market

If you want to work in Spain as a contractor, you need to first do your research on the state of the economy, current job market and if there is a demand for the sector you operate in. Here’s a baseline based of early 2025 data to help you out.

How is the Spanish economy performing?

The Spanish economy is the 15^th largest in the world and fourth in the EU, with projected economic growth of 2.1% by 2026.

According to the European Commission, Spanish projected economy expansion is partly attributed to the government’s ‘Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan (RRP).’ This plan includes reforms and investments to prepare Spain for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transition.

Part of the digital transformation plan in Spain includes €10.2 billion to promote the digitalisation of industry and SMEs, investments in artificial intelligence, and the digitalization of tourism systems. If you contract in digital roles, it might now be the time to figure out ‘How can I work in Spain?’ to jump on the upcoming opportunities.

How is the labor market performing in Spain?

The unemployment rate in Spain has been falling rapidly since the approval of the Recovery plan in 2021, reaching the lowest rate in 16 years in Q4 2024. Bringing Spanish employment closer towards the European average. Painting a positive picture with employment demand catching up with higher level of jobs in other neighboring nations in 2025. Cemented by CaixaBank Research expecting an average net creation of over 400,000 jobs in 2025, highlighting a healthy labor market in Spain.

Contracting demand in Spain

If you want to work in Spain as a contractor, you can’t only rely on overall employment numbers and trends to gauge the demand for your services. It’s important to understand what’s happening in the Spanish employment market.

To save you research time, Spain has the is the 7^th largest employment market in the EU in terms of revenue generation. Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) estimated that the Spanish employment market was worth over €7 billion in 2023. With +8% y/y growth expected for 2024 and a further +6% by the end of 2025.

These are extremely positive figures on revenue generated from employment vs other popular EU nations, many of which reported declines in 2024 and slow projected growth, indicating Spain should be a worthwhile area to consider hiring in.

Factors contributed to employment market growth from SIA research include:

Record-breaking tourism
High immigration levels
Increase in foreign direct investment, particularly in the renewable energy sector
Spain being the second-largest recipient of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Fund

2) Research What Jobs are in demand in Spain

While Spain’s economy is on the rise, beyond these growth rates, there are vulnerabilities in the Spanish labor market to consider when planning to contract in Spain. Issues stated by EURES include:

The gradually ageing population
Most businesses are small, 8 out of every 10 companies in Spain have 2 employees of fewer
Spain also has a relatively low level of available jobs when compared to other neighbouring nations

Hence why, we’re covering the skilled professions in demand to see if you can make contracting in Spain, work for you.

It’s interesting to note in 2023, the tourism and hospitality sector represented only 2.5% of jobs offered in Spain, despite being one of the sectors that generated the most contributions to the GDP of the country.

Professional sectors that made up the highest job offers in Spain according to Statista research included:

Services
Freight and logistics
Real estate
IT
Construction
Insurance

Let’s dig deeper into some growing roles in Spain that may experience a hike in hiring demand.

Cyber Security & IT Roles

One of the main sectors where contractors are particularly highly sought after in Spain is cybersecurity. This market is forecasted to grow 7.16% between 2025-2030 to reach USD $3.44 billion USD.

Worryingly for businesses based in Spain, in 2021 it was the first country with 51 billion cases of remote desktop cyber-attacks. The scale of the cyber security issues and aftermath has become so severe, that Communications giant, Telefonica labelled Spain as a ‘vulnerable country’ for IT safety.

These risks have forced Spanish firms into bolstering their defenses. However, the domestic supply of skilled IT professionals is underdeveloped and not yet at the scale to be able to support companies properly.

Hence why many cybersecurity and IT contractors are being recruited from around the world as companies prioritize protecting sensitive data.

Therefore, if cyber security is your expertise, you’ll likely to be able to find a significant number of opportunities within Spanish businesses.

Renewable Energy and Engineering Roles

Like so many other countries, Spain is also focusing on boosting its renewable energy offering in an attempt to tackle the climate crisis. This has led to a number of schemes being launched with the aim of reducing carbon omissions:

Engineers, including civil, mechanical, electrical, and software engineers, will play a crucial role in Spain’s infrastructure and innovation to meet the growing needs to complete green projects across the country.

If you work within any of these sectors, it’s safe to say that there are a significant number of opportunities available in Spain.

3) Research What Areas in Spain Have a High Concentration of Jobs

If you’re researching ‘How can I work in Spain’ as a contractor – it would be beneficial to narrow down your search to areas with a high concentration of jobs. If you are from an English speaking country and not fluent in Spanish, a good place to start is finding large foreign hiring organizations in Spain. According to Staffing Industry Analysts research, out of the 15 foreign headquarters in Spain:

30% were based in Madrid
22% in Barcelona

4) Research Visa Requirements to Work in Spain

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens have the right to live and work in Spain without a visa or permit. However, if you are from an EU country and want to work in Spain you must obtain your NIE number.

If you are planning to work there for more than three months you must register as a resident. This involves submitting proof of financial security and healthcare insurance depending if you have an employment contract or will be working as a freelancer.

If you are based outside of the EU

If you are based outside of the EU and googling ‘how can I work in Spain’ you will have several visa options available depending on the length and type of employment.

Spain has a Shortage Occupation list – This includes roles in:

Green energy production
IT
Engineering
Sales
Management

If you can fulfil one of the positions on this list and meet the criteria laid out by the government, you can be classified as ‘highly skilled’ for faster visa processing.

Visa options to work in Spain include:

The long-term work visa – Valid for one year and renewable if meet requirements
The EU blue card – A work permit for highly skilled non-EU nationals if you have an employment contract and proof of Spanish salary highly above minimum wage.
Self employed visa – Allows foreign nationals to work as freelancers in Spain. You need to provide a solid business plans, sufficient financial resources, and evidence of qualifications.
Telework (digital nomad visa) – Ideal for non-EU/EEA nationals who want to live in Spain while working remotely for non-Spanish companies. The limitations include:
- Spanish clients should only account for 20% of your client base, the rest must be outside Spain.
- Only valid for up to one year

Obtaining one of these will usually require a visit to the Spanish embassy. You will also need to apply for a work authorisation through the Ministry of Labour – this can sometimes take up to eight months to be approved so you will need to factor this in when taking on a role.

5) Register as Self-Employed

If you’re wondering “How can I work in Spain” as an “autónomo” (self-employed individual). Here are some crucial steps:

1. Obtain an NIE

All contractors in Spain will need a Numero De Identificacion de Extranjeros (NIE) in order to be registered. This is the Spanish equivalent of an ID number and allows you to register with the Spanish authorities to pay social security and taxes during your contract.

If the contract lasts for more than 90 days, you will also need to register as a resident in the local commune, the process is called ‘empadronamiento’. This process is separate to the NIE but also necessary to secure your tax residency in Spain.

2. Register with the Social Security and Tax office

If you plan to contract in Spain as self-employed, you will need to complete the appropriate paperwork to register for your economic activities. This includes filing forms that declare your self-employment status.

Make sure to register with the Spanish tax authorities and enroll in the autónomo social security system to pay contributions and access health benefits.

Ensuring compliance with these legal requirements will keep you on track as you pursue contracting opportunities in Spain.

6) Understand Your Tax Obligations to Work in Spain

A common question among contractors is “How can I work in Spain, without getting into implications with tax?”

As a contractor, you’ll be responsible for:

Income Tax – Pre-paying monthly or quarterly installments based on your income as a contractor in Spain.
VAT (Value Added Tax) – if you are invoicing locally, you’ll need to charge VAT on your invoices and remit it to the tax authorities.
Social Security Contributions – You must contribute to the Spanish social security system, which covers health benefits, pensions, and other services. This must be directed debited from a Spanish bank account on the last working day of every month.

7) Draft a Clear Contract With Spanish Clients

Having a clear contract for your projects when working with Spanish clients is crucial. Example items to include are:

A definition of the tasks and responsibilities you will be taking on in the project
Your payment terms such as your rates, payment schedule and invoicing procedures.
The start and end dates of the contract.
Confidentiality and non-compete clauses

If you are contracting for clients in Spain, ensure you document everything and keep safe all of your records including invoices and contracts.

Let Workwell Help You Compliantly Work in Spain

Spain’s immigration requirements and processes to work in Spain pose unique challenges for contractors looking to relocate or work on projects on Spain. While the process can be complex and time-consuming, ensuring you are fully compliant with legislation should be your top priority when committing to a contracting role in Spain

At Workwell Global, we make it work, for you. Eliminating the risks and keeping you compliant with Spanish local labor laws.
By partnering with Workwell Global we will:

Check your right to work in Spain – We have an immigration agent that can check cases. They also prepare and submit visa applications for high skilled migrants via an employed solution.
Provide NIE number support – If you’re a contractor relocating for the first time to Spain, and don’t have an NIE number we will provide assistance on what forms to fill out and what steps to follow.
Offer a self-employed solution – Once your right to work in Spain documentation has been checked and obtained, as part of our self-employed solution we will take care of your registration with Social Security and tax office, accounting, bookkeeping, tax return and de-registration.
Provide advice on compliance with local laws regarding work practices – We will perform checks to ensure you hold correct insurances for freelancing in Spain.
Process timesheets, invoicing and payments.
We also have different CBA/CLA (Convenios) especially for the manual workers. Workwell Global obtain the REA license. We strictly follow all regulations to ensure Spanish employees have required medical examinations and health and safety courses prior to their start date.

Disclaimer: The information provided here does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Instead, the information and content available are for general informational purposes only

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