The labor reform, shaped by official statistics for months, has also appeared on major internet portals and job boards. A prominent national report on the labor market, produced in partnership with a leading employment data provider, was published this week. Early indicators point to a notable rise in hiring stability, with a near doubling of permanent, full-time job openings last year, surpassing one million total offers for the year.
Even as stable positions have grown, the overall ratio of open roles per applicant remains tight, especially when accounting for the rising cost of living. Salaries stay relatively modest amid intense competition for available roles. The latest Infojobs report shows that, on average, about 46 candidates compete for each posted job opening.
Temporary hiring restrictions agreed among government authorities, employers, and unions are reflected in the data. Of the 2.7 million positions handled by Infojobs in 2022, 38 percent offered a full-time permanent contract, up from 24 percent the previous year. In some sectors, the reform has had a strong impact, though gains in stability are not uniform. For instance, in the technology sector, 70 percent of postings were already permanent and now stand at 80 percent. In contrast, the customer service segment has seen minimal change, still closely tied to campaigns that pair firms with third-party providers.
Infojobs data corroborates a broader trend noted in official statistics: the temporary segment has evolved into a more enduring pattern. The reform’s standout figure moved from a small share to a larger, more significant presence, with the volume of posts tied to temporary arrangements increasing twelvefold—from 10,318 postings in 2021 to 128,225 in 2022.
Sectorally, tourism and hospitality show renewed growth, validating a gradual recovery in those industries. Job postings in this sector on Infojobs surged by 127 percent year over year. Wages in the field also reflect the struggle to attract workers, with employers offering somewhat higher pay but still averaging around 1,600 euros gross per month (12 payments). It remains among the lower-paid sectors, ranking just above customer service and retail in this measure.
No trace of the Great Resignation
The labor market has largely recovered from the Covid-era shock. In the United States, where labor laws differ markedly from those in Spain, competition for open roles remains intense. The Infojobs report notes that high unemployment protection and severance rules tempered the impact of resignations, though the phenomenon did not vanish entirely. The shortage of certain skilled professionals remains confined to specific, highly specialized sectors.
Current uncertainty—whether tied to banking turmoil or ongoing price pressures—has not caused widespread disengagement among workers. Only about 17 percent of those surveyed by Infojobs expected notable disengagement, compared with 23 percent just before the pandemic.
Unemployment levels continue to shape the bargaining power in many industries, allowing firms to maintain or even worsen working conditions because they expect to find candidates. On average, every posted vacancy attracts 46 serious applicants. This is lower than in 2020, when a massive wave of temporary workers lost jobs and the ratio rose to about 1 to 72, yet still higher than the 1 to 41 seen in 2019.
The level of competition, of course, varies by sector. For example, the information technology and telecom fields show a smaller applicant pool per role at around 18 candidates, while retail positions experience much higher competition with roughly 198 candidates per posting. The stark contrast highlights the persistent challenge of the region with the highest unemployment in the European Union and the corresponding impact on pay, as retail remains the lowest paid among the groups discussed.
All of this unfolds as new job offers persist with little change in overall compensation year over year, reflecting how entrants to the labor market begin their careers in a difficult inflationary climate. On average, companies now offer an annual gross compensation of 24,395 euros, or about 2,032.9 euros gross per month across 12 payments.