Resources for employers in Spain
Resources for employers in Spain
We use "refugees" to encompass forcibly displaced people with different legal statuses, such as refugees, subsidiary protection holders, temporary protection holders, asylum seekers, and other people in need of international protection.
In cases where differentiating information relating to each status is essential (i.e. regarding the right to work), this is clearly indicated.
Why hire refugees and stateless people in Spain?
Spain is one of the countries in Europe which hosts the highest number of asylum-seekers and refugees, after Germany, Poland, France, and the UK. What is unique in the case of Spain is the high diversity in the countries of origin of refugees and asylum-seekers, ranging from Latin American countries like Venezuela and Colombia, European ones like Ukraine and Russia, Middle Eastern ones like Syria and Afghanistan, and African ones like Mali and Morocco. This diversity means that refugees bring a variety of languages, professional backgrounds, and skills to the Spanish labour market, and their successful integration may help to internationalize the Spanish economy and fill in labour shortages (according to the Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises, in Spain there are more than 100,000 unfilled jobs). Some other benefits of hiring refugees include 1) increased talent retention, 2) improved corporate image and brand positioning, 3) improved work environment, and 4) compliance with CSR policies and diversity commitments.
Spain has a well-established statelessness determination procedure, providing stateless people with protection and a right to work.
Read the Guide for Refugee Recruitment in Spain, developed by TENT and Red Acoge in cooperation with UNHCR (in Spanish).
ISS is a leading global workplace experience and facility management company, present in 77 countries and a member of the TENT Partnership for Refugees. In Spain, the company strongly emphasizes diversity and inclusion. It has developed special programs for people with disabilities and individuals at risk of social exclusion. The company is also firm on refugee integration into the labour market, and to date, it has hired 140 refugees and 117 Ukrainian nationals.
Demographics
As of 2023, Spain had hosted 386,000 refugees and 204,000 asylum-seekers. The top three countries of origin for refugees are Ukraine (191,000), Venezuela (134,000), and Syria (17,000), while the top three countries for asylum-seekers are Colombia (77,000), Venezuela (54,000), and Peru (21,000).
As of mid-2024, there were approximately 8,578 recorded stateless people and people of undetermined nationality in Spain.
Visit the Refugee Data Finder to learn more
Labour market integration
The most frequent ways refugees find employment in Spain include 1) acquaintances and individual networks, 2) labour market mechanisms, 3) NGO programs and mediation, and 4) public employment services. Due to gender segregation, women are mainly employed in domestic work, administrative activities, information and communications, health activities, social services and trade. In contrast, men are employed primarily in transport, storage, health and service services, construction and hospitality. Data on labour market inclusion is currently available only for refugees from Ukraine. As of June 2024, 70,000 Ukrainians are employed in Spain, primarily in construction, hospitality, domestic work, and trade.
Visit the dashboard on the residence permits and labour inclusion of Ukrainians in Spain.
Challenges
Many non-Spanish speakers among the refugees and stateless populations face a language barrier; in addition, refugees, in general, face a digital skills gap in the case of older people or those with a low level of education. Those refugees and stateless people with a university degree may need help finding a job corresponding to their professional background or academic education. The validation of studies is a long and complex process, especially for non-Spanish speakers. In addition, the need for rapid job insertion often leads to refugees and stateless people accepting to work in precarious jobs or the underground economy. Finally, refugees and stateless people need to gain knowledge of the Spanish labour market and the available channels for job search, which limits their access to available opportunities.
Read the UNHCR publication Engaging with Employers in Hiring Refugees: The 10-point multi-stakeholder Action Plan for Employers, refugees, governments and Civil Society
Did you know?
Refugees need help obtaining documentation proving their studies and/or professional accreditations, which they often do not bring when fleeing. Even if they do get them, these need to be legalized in the country of origin, either with the Hague Apostille or through diplomatic channels. For people who have been forced to flee, contact with the authorities of their country of origin may be impossible and can often put them at risk. An exception is made for Ukrainian refugees who can submit non-apostilled documents as long as the Ukrainian embassy and MAEUEC legalize them.
| Status | Who it applies to | Right to work? |
| Asylum-seeker | Individuals who have applied for asylum in Spain but still have not received a decision on their application. | Asylum seekers have the right to work for 6 months after submitting their application as long as their case is not decided. |
| Refugees | Individuals who have a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. | Refugees have the right to work in Spain without restrictions. They receive a residence card, which is renovated every 5 years. |
| Subsidiary protection | Individuals who do not qualify for refugee status but who are unable to return to their home country because it would mean they face capital punishment, torture or inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. | Individuals with subsidiary protection have the right to work in Spain without restrictions. They receive a residence card, which is renovated every 5 years. |
| Temporary residency due to exceptional circumstances for humanitarian reasons linked to international protection | Individuals who do not qualify for refugee status but cannot return due to their country's humanitarian situation. This is the case of the majority of Venezuelans in Spain. | Individuals who receive a residence permit for humanitarian reasons have the right to reside and work in Spain for 1 year, after which their permit can be renewed. |
| Temporary protection | Individuals who are residents of Ukraine and who have applied for protection in Spain due to the ongoing war. | Individuals with temporary protection have the right to reside and work in Spain for 1 year, which is automatically renewed when the temporary protection regime is in place. |
| Stateless person | A stateless person is someone who is not considered as a citizen by any country (whether recognized as such or not) | Recognized stateless people have the right to work. Applicants for statelessness status are not allowed to engage in formal employment. |
For more information on the legal framework, visit the Office of Asylum and Refugees website. Samples of identity documents can be found on this page.
Did you know?
In 2023, UNHCR organized the Forum Spain with Refugees in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. One of the forum's goals was to incentivize companies and organizations to make specific commitments that promote refugees' socio-economic and community inclusion. The forum also published a Concept note on the Economic Inclusion of refugees, highlighting the benefits of hiring refugees and the main goals of the commitments.
How do I connect with refugee and stateless talent?
Employers interested in hiring refugees can contact several NGOs that work with refugees on the national level or the level of autonomous communities. These include Red Acoge, which offers resources for diversity management and employment of migrants, and Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado (CEAR), which allows companies to join solidarity projects, corporate volunteering, or assistance with hiring refugees through their certified recruitment agency. A complete list of NGOs in the field can be found on the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migrations page.
What can I do to support refugee and stateless employees?
Companies can facilitate the successful employment of refugees and stateless people by promoting hiring based on competencies instead of formal qualifications. It may be necessary to perform skills tests or give trial periods/apprenticeships to refugee and stateless candidates so that they can prove their qualifications. In addition, to reach refugee and stateless candidates, companies can widen their recruitment efforts to include specialized job boards and NGOs.
Employment offices
Businesses may contact the Employment Office in their autonomous region, which offers various programs available to refugees, such as vocational training, Spanish language courses, support with the recognition of qualifications or other bureaucratic processes, and digital skills training.
Job boards
Universia has created a job board specifically for refugees as part of the "Companies for Ukraine" initiative, spearheaded by the Foundation of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations. To date, it has published more than 11,000 vacancies by 2,300 companies. 2,700 refugees have registered on the platform, and 2,000 have participated in training. Refugees are also able to access the service at the 4 Reception, Attention, and Referral Centres located in Barcelona, Madrid (Pozuelo), Málaga, and Alicante (Torrevieja). The vacancies on the job board are now available to refugees of all nationalities.
Employer coalitions
Tent Spain is a network of 45 member companies from all over the country that offers individualized guidance in implementing refugee integration programs, materials, training, and best practices; invitations to regular meetings with other companies; and many other services. Other business coalitions include the Spanish Global Compact and Indice D&I.
A compilation of best practices in diversity management in the workplace in Spain (in Spanish)
Guide to Procedures and Resources for the Population Displaced by the War in Ukraine by the Spanish Network of Legal Clinics with information for each autonomous region (in Spanish, developed in 2022, and some of the information may not be up to date).
Labour Guide 2023 by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy and the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration (in Spanish)