The number of foreign workers in Andalucia has surged by more than 20% in a year.

According to the latest official figures, 416,429 foreign nationals were registered with Spain’s Social Security system in Andalucia in August.

That represents a 20.2% increase compared with August 2025, dramatically outpacing the 3.2% growth recorded among workers as a whole.

Foreign nationals now account for 11.6% of all registered workers in Andalucia, highlighting their increasingly significant role in the region’s economy.

Almost 70,000 more foreign workers

Andalucia has added 69,993 foreign workers to its Social Security rolls over the past year.

Some 95% of those additional workers came from countries outside the EU.

Non-EU nationals now represent around three-quarters of Andalucia’s entire foreign workforce.

The figures come following the Spanish government’s extraordinary regularisation process for foreign residents, which began at the end of April.

By August 31, 337,917 people across Spain had been registered with Social Security as a result of the process.

However, the growth in foreign employment predates the scheme.

The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration says the upward trajectory began in 2022, with the number of foreign workers in Andalucia having risen by 33% since then.

Across Spain, there were an average of 3.55 million foreign workers registered in August, up 15.7% year-on-year.

They now represent 15.9% of all Social Security affiliates nationally, compared with Andalucia’s 11.6%.

Younger workforce

Foreign workers in Andalucia are also significantly younger than their Spanish counterparts.

Among workers from outside the EU, 40.4% are under 35, compared with just 25.2% of Spanish workers.

At the other end of the scale, only 10.3% of non-EU workers are aged over 54, compared with 22.1% of Spanish nationals.

Men account for around 58% of the foreign workforce.

Nationally, Moroccans remain the largest group of foreign Social Security contributors, with 407,350 workers, followed by Colombians on 368,901 and Romanians on 336,681.

Venezuelans number 248,550, followed by Italians on 222,158, Peruvians on 140,467, Chinese nationals on 137,872 and Ukrainians on 84,564.

Hospitality, shops and construction

Hospitality remains one of the sectors most dependent on foreign labour in Andalucia.

Foreign nationals make up 22.4% of workers in bars, restaurants and the wider hospitality industry, while significant numbers also work in retail and construction.

They have an even greater presence in some specialised employment systems, accounting for 41.3% of domestic workers and 26% of agricultural workers.

Foreign workers are increasingly moving into highly skilled industries too.

Across Spain, foreign self-employed workers now number 537,660, an increase of 10.3% in a year.

They have a particularly notable presence in telecommunications and computer programming, where they represent 33.5% of registered workers in that section of the economy.

Another striking change has been the rise in permanent employment among foreign workers.

Some 86.8% now have permanent contracts, compared with 58.9% during the 2017-2021 period before Spain’s labour reforms.

Their temporary employment rate has fallen to 14.1%, only slightly above the 13.2% recorded among Spanish workers.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.