Alsa, the renowned Asturian company that leads road passenger transport in Spain, has had to recruit drivers from Latin America and Morocco due to a shortage of professionals within the country. This point was emphasized by Alsa president Jacobo Cosmen during a Barcelona conference connected to Spain’s EU presidency events. He underscored that active employment policies form a central pillar of the European Year of Skills, a focal topic of the gathering in the Catalan capital.
Cosmen oversees a historic group that moves about 530 million passengers annually through a fleet of 6,000 vehicles and a workforce of roughly 16,000 people. He stressed that customers rarely visit Alsa offices in person, which makes drivers the companyace and brand ambassadors. He noted that friendliness, safety training, and a sustained commitment to sustainability differentiate Alsa in a crowded market and help sustain trust with travelers across Europe.
Yet Alsa is not immune to the broader labor shortages that affect many sectors, particularly the entire road transport industry. Cosmen pointed to a European pool of more than one million bus and tour bus drivers, with vacancies representing about 10 percent. The most alarming trend, he warned, is that demand will likely double within five years, as more than 40 percent of the current driver base is over the age of 55 and only about 3 percent are under 25. He highlighted a lack of qualified applicants, especially those holding bus licenses and possessing additional safety training, and the hurdles in attracting women and younger talent to the field. To address these gaps, Alsa has sought public support for training initiatives and has launched driver recruitment campaigns spanning from Spain to Latin American countries. Language and cultural barriers complicate these efforts, and in some cases vehicle availability has been a bottleneck. The firm has also explored opportunities to recognize and certify foreign credentials in a process of homologation for the driver card. Collaborating with the Ministry of Immigration and other state bodies, Alsa has actively recruited drivers from Morocco, leveraging existing operations in that country and established selection pipelines. Cosmen framed the situation as a global shortage that has become a real challenge, not only in Spain but in other markets where Alsa operates. He recalled early milestones, mentioning expansion into markets like Lisbon and open dialogue with other regions such as Cape Verde as part of a broader international recruitment strategy.
Cosmen reported on a roundtable that included María Jesús Almazor, CEO of Telefonica Tech, and Klemens Haselsteiner, CEO of the construction giant Strabag, to illustrate how sectors across the economy contend with limited digital and skilled labor supplies. The day’s proceedings were opened by European Employment Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, who highlighted notable progress in Spain’s labor market despite acknowledged unemployment challenges. The sessions also featured Yolanda Díaz, Spain’s second vice president and current Acting Minister of Labor, who announced plans to present a legislative proposal to the European Commission aimed at granting on the job training a formal right for citizens. She stressed that unemployment affects not only the youth but many workers, underscoring the urgency of expanding practical training opportunities to a wider audience. The discussions highlighted a shared policy objective: equip the workforce with the skills that modern industries demand and create pathways for continuous learning across borders and sectors. This multi-stakeholder dialogue signals a coordinated effort to align education, training, and mobility with the labor needs of a changing European economy, reinforcing the role of public policy in shaping access to high-quality jobs while preserving the mobility and competitiveness of European businesses. (Attribution: Conference coverage on the EU year and industry roundtables)