The Spanish industry is sustained in part thanks to immigrant workers who cover the casualties of the Spanish. In the last 12 months, the industry, where around 2.5 million people work, lost 22,800 native employees and gained 50,800 foreigners or dual nationals.
“It is likely that there is a retirement process of Spanish workers who cannot find a replacement in the market, except for immigrants,” says María Jesús Fernández, senior analyst at Funcas. Sources from the CEOE explain that the replacement of native workers with foreigners occurs at the same time as unemployment is reduced in the industrial sector. “The drop in unemployment and the increase in immigrant employment in the industry may be anticipating difficulties for companies in the sector to fill certain vacancies,” explained sources from the employers’ association. This month, the Generalitat of Catalonia published a report warning of the lack of carpenters and electricians. There are certain specialized positions in the industry, such as those mentioned, in which there are no employees. Last year, unemployment in the industry fell by 29,900 people in Spain as a whole.
UAB professor Josep Oliver reflects that not only are there no native workers adequately trained to work in the industry, but there are fewer young people, which is why the available workforce is decreasing. Juan Antonio Vázquez, secretary of industrial policy of the state federation of UGT, adds that “there is a lack of professionals for the industry.” In the unionist’s opinion it is necessary to “reach the schools” to explain the importance.
Despite the incorporation of immigrants, employment growth in the industrial sector is one third of the economy as a whole. In the fourth quarter of last year, jobs increased by 28,000 people compared to the same period in 2022. This is 0.9% more. On the other hand, in the economy as a whole, the increase in employment was more than 3%.
“We have to put aside the vision of the industry as a creator of employment,” Oliver reflects. “Maintaining full employment is already a lot considering the productivity gains,” he adds. If the industry is more productive every day, employment will be less. And it is difficult to attract or create new activities. An example is Barcelona, ??where the workers of the former Nissan have already exhausted their two-year strike due to the difficulties faced by alternatives to the automotive plant.
Oliver adds that it is easier to create new jobs in activities linked to industry but that are strictly located in the high value-added services sector. In Catalonia, for example, the Generalitat has approved a new National Industry Plan to increase the weight of the sector within the community’s GDP to around 25%.
María Jesús Fernández remembers that last year where employment grew the most was in the services sector and construction. Juan Antonio Vázquez details that 2023 was not good for the industry as problems such as the weakness of Germany or the “transformation processes and international crises” persist. It was the year in which there were still effects of the supply chain problems at the beginning of the year and which ended with increases in freight rates due to instability in the Red Sea.
Sources from the CEOE point to the paradox that the lowest employment growth in the industry occurs when Spanish exports are at maximum levels. A part of the exports are from the service sector as well.
This start of the year, the industry has had some notable closures that anticipate that it will be a complex year for the sector. The multinational Danone announced the closure of its Parets plant where 160 people work and Bimbo did the same in Alicante with more than a hundred employees. At Stellantis in Vigo, an ERE has been proposed for 90 people. There are other automotive supplier companies that also want to make workforce adjustments.
Carlos Márquez, from CC.OO., highlights that the industry has not been able to close the gender gap either since last year employment among women decreased (3,500 less) while employment among men increased by 31,600.
