The cliché that Spain is the bar of Europe it is losing strength. At least this is confirmed by employment data from recent months, which show how Social Security members in sectors with higher added value and where workers are more qualified are increasingly ahead of those employed in the hotel sector. In figures, last October there were almost 2.1 million technical-scientific professionals (legal, architectural and engineering services; advertising or research and development) and in the field of information and telecommunications, compared to 1.9 million employed in the various branches of hospitality. The difference of almost 200,000 Social Security members in favor of higher value-added sectors is the largest recorded in the month of October.
Although seasonality continues to influence the results that month after month feed into the accounting of the number of taxpayers, there are behaviors that are starting to assert themselves. The end of the summer season brings with it the termination of multiple contracts in the hospitality sector. However, this reality coexists with others that have become evident especially in the last year, and which indicate an increase in activities that require a higher level of training.
Taking the latest October data as a reference and looking back a year, the Ministry led by Elma Saiz underlines the intensity with which the transport and storage sectors have gained employment in the last twelve months (+8.3%); agriculture, livestock and fishing (+5.1%); water supply (+4.8%); artistic, recreational and entertainment activities (+4.5%); construction (+4.5%); real estate activities (+4.1%) and education (+4%).
But it is by looking at the other activities that have acquired affiliation that the data shows a significant change linked to high value-added occupations. This is the case of information and communication (+3.1%) and professional, scientific and technical activities (+3%). This improvement translated into an increase in average contribution bases – reflecting an improvement in wage conditions – and a higher level of stability. According to Social Security data, the average contribution base for information and communication is currently 3,120 euros per month, compared to the average of 2,269 for all sectors in the April-June period. The average contribution base in the hotel sector is around 1,400 euros.
Among the subsectors that are growing the most in the category of high productivity activities are, on the information and communication side, IT programming and consultancy, which concentrates almost 67% of affiliates. In the field of professional and technical-scientific activities, the offices and business consultancy stand out, with an annual growth of more than 30% in both cases.
While revealing two opposing realities that coexist within the same working ecosystem, the proportions of the data reveal a dissonance that ended up playing in favor of the most valued positions. According to the ministerial report published on Tuesday, the hospitality sector reduced its volume by 50,594 units compared to the previous month, while education grew by 167,323 units, three times more. Presenting the latest data, Borja Suárez, Secretary of State for Social Security, recalled that, according to the latest Active Population Survey (EPA), 16.1 million people have a permanent contract.
