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spain teleworking

In Spain 29th January 2026

Spanish government launches 35-hour working week for State Public Employees

While doctors are notifying the Ministry of Health of strikes and mobilizations due to—amongst other issues—mandatory 24-hour shifts, the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Civil Service, led by Oscar López, has informed the CCOO and UGT unions that it is initiating the procedure to implement a 35-hour workweek within the General State Administration. This move aims to fulfill the commitments signed in the “Framework Agreement for the 21st Century Administration.”…

unemployment office

In Spain 28th January 2026

Spanish Unemployment Drops Below Double Digits to 9.93%

According to the Labor Force Survey (EPA), released by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the number of employed persons in Spain increased by 76,200 in Q4 2025 compared to the previous quarter, reaching a total of 22,463,300 people. In seasonally adjusted terms, the quarterly variation rate for Q4 2025 was 0.90%, while employment grew by 605,400 people year-on-year. Simultaneously, during the quarter under review, unemployment fell by 136,100 people, totalling…

Government

In Spain, Relevant News Item 28th January 2026

That Determination to Sow Discord

J.A. | “Becoming legal in Spain: five months… An appointment with the dermatologist: 16 months.” Spanish social media was flooded with messages of this kind upon learning how the Government approved—via Royal Decree-Law, meaning without the need for Parliamentary approval—a regularization process that could benefit more than half a million undocumented immigrants (out of an estimated 840,000 currently in Spain). It will be enough to prove residency in Spain prior…

morocco inmigration

In Spain 27th January 2026

Government to regularise 500,000 immigrants without going through Parliament

Pedro Sánchez has reached an agreement with Podemos—the party still led from behind the scenes by Pablo Iglesias, which supported his investiture with four seats—to regularize immigrants who can prove their residency in Spain prior to the end of 2025 and who do not have a criminal record. For five years, Congress had been processing a Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) backed by over 700,000 signatures to proceed with a regularization….

spain country risk

In Spain 26th January 2026

FEDEA Estimates Undeclared Income in Spain at €112 Billion

FEDEA (the Foundation for Applied Economic Studies) has today published a study by Jaime Vallés and Anabel Zárate (University of Zaragoza) quantifying the tax gap, defined as undeclared income in the Personal Income Tax (IRPF) across the 15 Common Regime autonomous communities between 2003 and 2022. The results show a sustained improvement in aggregate tax compliance throughout the analyzed period. In the early 2000s, declared income represented around 70-75% of…

crear empresas

In Spain 23rd January 2026

Business confidence rises in Spain by 0.1% ahead of Q1 2026 and compared to Q4 2025, three out of five sectors analysed improve

Link Securities | According to the Business Confidence Indicators (ICE) published by the National Statistics Institute (INE), business confidence in Spain rose by 0.1% in Q1 2026 compared to Q4 2025. In addition, three of the five sectors analysed showed an increase in confidence compared to the previous quarter. Industry shows the largest increase in confidence (1.7%), while Transport and hospitality records the largest decline (a drop of 2.2%). It…

Elena Guede

In Spain 23rd January 2026

“European industry feels vulnerable because it cannot compete on a level playing field”

Elena Guede, board member at Tubacex and Celsa, explains in Consejeros magazine that: “At this moment, there are two distinct models. In Europe, we have a model that regulates everything related to climate ambition. It starts with greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, extends them throughout the value chain, sets objectives, defines highly rigorous and demanding reporting, and establishes border carbon footprint mechanisms, etc. This forces the European industrial environment to…

fotoave

In Spain 22nd January 2026

Train drivers strike after two derailments in 48 hours leave 46 casualties

Two derailments in less than 48 hours, resulting in nearly fifty casualties—at least 45 in Adamuz (Córdoba) and another in Gélida (Barcelona)—have prompted the train drivers’ union to call for a strike on February 9, 10, and 11 to demand “infrastructure safety.” Their indignation is immense—derailments have doubled in a decade—and they appear fed up with the Ministry of Transport for disregarding their constant complaints regarding the state of the…

exports gorgeous

Spanish economy 21st January 2026

Trade Deficit Surges 40% as Exports Stagnate

According to data published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business, Spain’s trade deficit reached €51,481 million between January and November 2025 (11M2025), representing a spike of over 40% compared to the same period in 2024. The coverage rate (the percentage ratio of exports to imports) stood at 87.4% through November, down from the 90.8% recorded during the same period in 2024. In 11M2025, Spanish goods exports increased by…

spain flag crisis concept 1379 4664

In Spain 20th January 2026

IMF raises global growth forecast to 3.3% and Spain’s to 2.3%

In an update to its World Economic Outlook, the IMF raised its global growth forecast for 2026 to 3.3%, representing a 0.2 percentage point increase from its October 2025 projection, while keeping its 2027 forecast unchanged at 3.2%. In this update, the IMF has once again revised upward its growth expectations for the Spanish economy for both this year and next. The projected expansion rate is 2.3% in 2026—three-tenths higher…