In the Spanish job market, one role repeatedly appears as critically scarce: waiters. Even as the hospitality sector—long active in unions and now reawakening after the pandemic—calls for more professionals, a wider picture shows vacancies piling up across many sectors. The Adecco labor market study highlights which profiles companies are currently most eager to fill. It points to three major categories—management, operators, and administrative roles—that together account for well over twenty percent of all open positions in Spain. Although these roles are the most sought after by employers, filling them does not automatically guarantee favourable working conditions for workers.
New figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) show a record total of 133,988 job vacancies, marking a 22 percent rise from the end of the previous year. On Monday, Adecco presented a survey based on responses from 27,870 companies, aiming to identify which industries hold the most openings and which profiles are proving hardest to recruit for. The findings underline a market where demand is broad, yet certain job families lag behind in terms of ease of recruitment.
Even when using the waiter example, these roles do not top the list of vacancies nor are they the hardest positions for companies to fill, according to the Adecco analysis. Across the state for the period January to May 2022, the category of administrative and administrative support staff emerges as the largest share of job bids. Specifically, it accounts for about 8.8 percent of total postings, compared with roughly 1.8 percent for waiters.
Most sought after, but not the highest paid
Demand for administrative management does not automatically translate into the best pay, hours, or benefits. A portion of the surge in vacancies in this field can be traced to the imperfect quality of positions offered by some employers who rely on the Generalitat de Catalunya’s weighting system to assess job demand and working conditions. According to this data, recruiting for an administrative officer earns a noticeable score of 9.2 out of 10 in terms recruitment fit, yet the same index rates working conditions at a modest 4.5 out of 10—more of a struggle than a strong selling point for candidates.
While administration often attracts attention for volume, it is not necessarily the most challenging sector to staff. Adecco’s report notes that only about five percent of employers say they struggle to find suitable administrative profiles, whereas nearly one in five positions in the transport and storage sector present recruitment difficulties. The difficulty rating for freight transport workers and unloaders reflects lower quality working conditions, scoring around 2.6 out of 10 in the Generalitat’s evaluation framework.
Across Spain, the puzzle is clear: high demand does not always align with favorable pay or conditions, and the most demanded jobs are not always the most difficult to hire for. Employers are increasingly negotiating with candidates who weigh salary, security, and schedule flexibility just as heavily as the job title itself. In sectors like hospitality, retail, and logistics, the balance between demand and the quality of life offered to workers shapes hiring decisions as much as the need for fillable positions. The Adecco study underscores a broader trend where workers look for meaningful benefits, stable hours, and clear paths for advancement, even in roles that are plentiful on the posting boards.
Experts suggest that improved recruitment outcomes will require a combination of better compensation packages, clearer career ladders, and more transparent job descriptions. For workers, the takeaway is to scrutinize the total package—salary, benefits, workload, and opportunities for training—rather than focusing solely on headline vacancy counts. For businesses, the message is equally simple: attract talent by aligning job conditions with workers’ expectations and by presenting compelling, realistic prospects that go beyond the job title. In this evolving market, adaptability, fair treatment, and predictive hiring practices will likely determine which sectors succeed in filling roles quickly and which continue to face extended vacancies. (Adecco report, recent survey)”}