Construction jobs boost in Spain

Housebuilding in Spain has created around 85,600 new jobs over the last year, according to Employment Ministry data.

The Ministry’s and Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE) Survey of Active Population (EPA) showed the construction industry was among the biggest sectors driving job growth. It came second to the services sector. The EPA also showed that last year ended with a total of 1.1 million workers employed in construction, 6 per cent of all Spanish employees. The sector took on 8,364 new staff members last month, according to the survey.

The Association of Real Estate Developers in Madrid (ASPRIMA) said they estimated around 90,000 new jobs will have been created in the industry by the end of this year.
“We estimate a further 100,000 jobs will be created between 2019 and 2020,” ASPRIMA’s Daniel Cuervo said. The body also estimates that around 100,000 new homes will have been built by the end of this year. Juan Antonio Gomez-Pintado, head of ASPRIMA, said at a Spanish Chamber of Commerce meeting in Zaragoza recently: “Having more cranes on our streets is synonymous with higher employer activity.”

The figures come as job numbers in construction continue to recovery following the property crash at the onset of the last recession in 2008.

A total of 1.5 million jobs are estimated to have been lost after the housing market crashed and the industry continued to struggle until around 2013.

Source: EWN, Jan 2019