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Date Published: 16/04/2025

More than 30% of Murcia hospitality workers are foreign

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The Region of Murcia is becoming increasingly popular both as a holiday destination and a relocation option

More than 30% of Murcia hospitality workers are foreign

Murcia's hospitality sector is becoming increasingly international, with more than 30% of workers in the Region now either foreign nationals or holding dual nationality.

According to a report from Randstad Research, 25% of hospitality employees in Murcia are foreign, while another 7% hold both Spanish and a second nationality. This leaves just over 68% of hospitality roles filled by Spanish-only workers, placing Murcia above the national average, where this figure sits at 58%.

This trend aligns with Murcia’s growing appeal among international visitors and part-time residents. In 2024, foreign tourists spent a record €1.17 billion in the Region, up 32.6% from the previous year and surpassing the €1.1 billion mark for the first time.

In the housing market, the British remain the leading foreign buyers across Spain, especially in sunny southern regions like Murcia, Alicante and Andalucía, where many invest in holiday properties rather than permanent relocation.

Nationally, the hospitality industry is increasingly supported by a foreign workforce. Since 2019, the percentage of foreign workers in the sector has risen from 26% to 30.7%, while those with dual nationality have grown from 6.9% to 11.2%.

Meanwhile, the number of Spanish-only workers has declined by 7% since 2019, now representing 58% of the workforce. Without the rising number of foreign employees, it would have been impossible for the sector to achieve its 7.4% overall employment growth during this five-year period—an increase that brought the total number of hospitality workers to 1.84 million by the end of 2024.

Some regions are more reliant on foreign labour than others. Communities such as Madrid (60.5%), La Rioja (51.2%), Catalonia (49.1%), the Valencian Community (47.1%) and the Balearic Islands (46.5%) have the highest percentages of foreign or dual-nationality workers.

In contrast, areas like Extremadura (82.3%), Asturias (79.9%) and Andalucía (76.2%) still have a majority Spanish workforce.

Like other sectors of the Spanish economy, the hospitality industry is facing a generational replacement challenge, a trend that accentuates the need for foreign employees to fill vacancies.

Nearly half of all hospitality workers in both accommodation and food and beverage services are aged 45 or older, highlighting a pressing need to attract younger talent.

Talent shortages are also becoming a growing concern. Six out of ten companies in the hospitality industry anticipate greater difficulties in filling roles in the years ahead. Recruiting younger workers and international talent is now a key strategy, especially for roles such as waiters, cooks and housekeepers, which are particularly hard to staff during peak tourism seasons.

In a push to make the industry more appealing, many companies are investing in employee training and career progression. By 2030, 31% of hospitality workers are expected to receive training to update their skills, while 19% will retrain for different roles within the sector.

In other news: Easter weekend shopping hours in the Region of Murcia: What's open and what is closed

Image: Pexels

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