Spain is preparing to introduce a job-matching programme aimed at helping undocumented migrants move into formal employment, as the government advances a wider plan to grant legal status to around half a million people.
The important initiative is part of the Socialist-led coalition government’s broader immigration strategy. Officials argue that regularising migrants will support Spain’s economy, ease labour shortages, and strengthen the country’s welfare system as the population ages.
Moving Workers Out of the Informal Economy
The job-matching plan is designed to help migrants leave precarious, off-the-books employment and enter formal jobs in sectors facing labour shortages.
Key sectors involved in the programme include:
| Sector | Labour Need |
| Construction | Workers for infrastructure and housing projects |
| Tourism | Staff for hotels, restaurants, and travel services |
| Transport | Drivers and logistics workers |
| Care services | Support for elderly and dependent people |
The Migration Ministry plans to carry out a voluntary survey among migrants who receive provisional work permits. The survey will collect information about their skills, experience, and preferred areas of work.
The government is also working with business groups to identify labour demand and connect regularised migrants with suitable employers.
A Major Regularisation Programme
The programme was announced in January and later became law through a royal decree on April 16. It allows certain undocumented migrants to apply for temporary legal status if they have been living in Spain for at least five months before January 1, 2026.
According to Spain’s state broadcaster TVE, 549,596 people applied during the first month of the programme. This was slightly higher than the government’s original expectation of around 500,000 applicants.
TVE also reported that 91,505 temporary work permits had already been granted, though Spain’s Migration Ministry has not officially confirmed those figures.
Why Spain Is Supporting Regularisation
Spain’s government says migration is both a humanitarian and economic opportunity. Secretary of State for Migration Pilar Cancela described the approach as a practical way to help migrants integrate while also supporting public services and pensions.
Official estimates suggest Spain will need about 2.4 million more people contributing to social security over the next decade to maintain its welfare state.
Think-tank Funcas estimates that around 840,000 undocumented migrants are currently working informally in Spain, many of them from Latin America.
A Strategy for Long-Term Integration
The Spanish government believes that legal status and access to formal work are essential for real integration. By connecting migrants with legal employment, officials hope to reduce labour shortages, increase tax and social security contributions, and improve working conditions for people already contributing to the country’s economy.
While the programme remains politically controversial, Spain is positioning migration as a key part of its long-term economic and demographic strategy.
Files from Reuters, Umer Rasib, and Infomigrants.