The number of self-employed workers in Andalucia has surged past 600,000, new figures show, although the number who employ other people has fallen sharply.
Andalucia ended the first half of 2026 with 604,981 autonomos registered with the Social Security system, according to figures compiled by the Union of Professionals and Self-Employed Workers (UPTA).
That represents an increase of 13,871 people in just six months, or 2.3%, after the region began the year with 591,110 registered self-employed workers.
However, behind the headline growth is a less encouraging trend for small businesses.
The number of autonomos who employ salaried workers fell by more than 3,500 during the same period, suggesting that while more people are working for themselves, fewer are running businesses that create additional jobs.
Andalucia adds almost 14,000 autonomos
The number of self-employed workers increased consistently throughout the first six months of the year, rising from 591,110 in January to 604,981 by June.
The trend broadly mirrors what has happened across Spain.
Nationally, the number of autonomos increased from around 3.42 million to 3.49 million, meaning almost 70,000 additional people were registered as self-employed by the end of June.
UPTA said the figures demonstrate the increasingly important role played by self-employment in Spain’s economy.
But Andalucia stands out when it comes to the number of autonomos employing other workers.
More than 3,500 employers disappear
In January, 105,068 autonomos in Andalucia had salaried employees working for them.
By June, that figure had fallen to 101,520.
It means the region lost 3,548 self-employed employers in six months, a decline of around 3.4%.
The fall is particularly notable because the national trend went in the opposite direction.
Across Spain, the number of autonomos with employees increased by 3.3%, from 473,555 in January to 489,396 in June.
By the end of the period, self-employed business owners were responsible for 1,155,338 salaried jobs across the country.
Most remain very small operations.
More than 255,000 autonomos employ just one person, while around 99,000 have two workers and slightly fewer than 50,000 employ three.
A further 55,642 have businesses employing five or more people.
More autonomos operating through companies
UPTA also highlighted another significant shift in the way Spain’s self-employed population is structured.
The number of autonomos connected to companies, either as shareholders or members of corporate management bodies, increased from 1,110,376 in January to 1,131,752 in June.
That is an increase of 21,376 people, or 1.9%, in six months.
Most of the growth came from members of company administrative bodies, whose numbers rose by more than 18,400, while the number of company shareholders increased by just under 3,000.
These so-called autonomos societarios now account for 32.4% of Spain’s self-employed population.
The trend has prompted UPTA to question whether differences in taxation are influencing the way people choose to structure their businesses.
Its president, Eduardo Abad, argues that tax differences between people operating directly as individuals and those working through companies could be contributing to the rise.
UPTA believes the choice should instead be determined primarily by the needs and characteristics of the business itself, rather than potential tax advantages.
Calls for focus on businesses that survive and grow
The organisation says policymakers should not judge the health of Spain’s self-employed sector purely by the number of people registering as autonomos.
Instead, it wants greater emphasis placed on helping businesses survive, invest, expand and ultimately create jobs.
UPTA has called for measures to improve competitiveness and social protection for the self-employed while helping viable businesses become established over the longer term.
Spain is now approaching 3.5 million autonomos, almost 490,000 of whom employ other people.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
