Working Poverty in Spain: A Call for Stronger Social Protections

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Nearly three million employed people in Spain live in poverty, according to a report from Oxfam Intermón, which highlights the particular vulnerability of migrants, of domestic workers, and of large and single‑parent families.

In the study “Working Poverty: when a job is not enough to make ends meet,” released recently, Oxfam Intermón analyzes the alarming reality affecting 2,957,000 workers, despite gains in employment in recent years such as a higher minimum wage, labor reform, historically strong employment figures, and an unemployment rate that has fallen to its lowest level since 2008.

Currently, 13.7% of employed people live below the poverty line, a figure that doubles for migrants at 29.5%. At the same time, among those living in poverty, three out of ten are employed.

The report shows that the sectors hardest hit by working poverty are agriculture and domestic work, where three in ten workers live in poverty despite having a job. Hospitality and construction follow, with two in ten employed people living in poverty.

Forty percent of large families and 30 percent of single‑parent households endure this situation.

The rising cost of housing and basic services has worsened the problem: working‑poor households allocate between 67% and 79% of their income to housing and basic services, the study finds.

More than half of working‑poor households (55.3%) have had to forgo essential health services in the past year, such as dental care, eyeglasses, or mental health follow‑up, due to a lack of resources.

“We are facing a perplexing paradox: many people strive to go to work every morning, yet this no longer guarantees a path out of poverty,” explains Alejandro García‑Gil, head of social protection and employment policies. Andalusia leads the way in working poverty, with Navarra showing the lowest rate.

Andalusia at the forefront of working poverty

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Andalusia registers the highest rate of working poverty at 19.4%, followed by Extremadura (17.2%), Ceuta (16.4%), Castilla–La Mancha (15.4%), Murcia (14.3%), the Canary Islands (13.8%), and Valencia (13.8%).

Below the average rate are Melilla (11.6%), Galicia (11.1%), La Rioja (11%), Castilla y León (10.5%), Aragón (10%), Cantabria (9.6%), Asturias (9.6%), and the Balearic Islands (9.6%).

The regions with the lowest working‑poverty rates are Navarra (6.3%), the Basque Country (6.6%), Madrid (7%), and Catalonia (7.7%). A note on low‑quality employment

According to the analysis, despite job creation, Spain’s productive system and economic model continue to generate low‑quality jobs.

The report explains that part‑time work or self‑employment condemns about one in four workers in these arrangements to poverty.

On the other hand, six in ten people in working poverty would have liked to continue their studies, but 54% were forced to drop out due to lack of resources or the need to work to subsist. This cycle perpetuates inequality, since those who do not access higher education are more likely to obtain precarious and poorly paid jobs, the NGO notes.

“Beyond the economic implications, working poverty also leaves a significant emotional mark: people are forced to live to work and not work to live; they spend their entire salaries on basic expenses, renouncing leisure and free time, which seriously affects mental health,” warns the expert.

Urgent measures

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Urgent steps to confront this reality and improve job quality include expanding social protection and reforming the benefits system so that the most vulnerable families remain protected.

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“It is not enough to create jobs; they must be high‑quality, enabling people to live with dignity. For many households, a wage is not enough without fair working conditions, access to decent housing, and a robust social protection system that helps them move forward,” the organization concludes.

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