canary islands labour mobility trend import export workers

Canary Islands See Surge in Incoming Workers as Labour Trend Shifts

A Historic Region of Emigrants

The Canary Islands have traditionally been a region that exports workers. Throughout history, Canarians have repeatedly had to leave the archipelago to build a future for themselves, and this pattern continues today. More people still leave the islands for work than arrive to take up employment here. However, this trend appears to be changing at a remarkable pace.

A Dramatic Rise in Incoming Workers

Over the last ten years, the influx of workers from other regions of Spain has grown by 48%. In the last year alone, 43,962 contracts were formalised in the region for people who were not resident in the Canaries. This figure is significantly higher than the 29,679 contracts signed a decade earlier. Observing the trend—with the exception of a drop in 2020 due to the pandemic—the numbers have been on a continuous upward trajectory.

The Persistent Export of Talent

According to data from the ‘Geographic Mobility of Hiring in Spain’ report, compiled by the State Public Employment Service (SEPE), the number of Canarians leaving for other regions to work still exceeds those coming in. In total, 50,058 islanders departed. With these figures, the archipelago remains a net exporter of employees, as the difference between those moving away and those moving here is negative, with a net balance of -6,096 contracts.

Comparing the Pace of Change

But are those 50,000-plus Canarians who left a large number? Compared to those who left in 2016, the figure is considerably higher. At that time, as the ‘green shoots’ of recovery from the financial crisis were emerging, 34,523 people departed the archipelago with a contract in hand. The number has indeed grown, but its rate of increase has been slower than that of people arriving to work in the islands. The trend is clear. Comparing data from 2024 and 2025, those who left increased by 3.95%. In that same period, those who relocated here to work increased by 18.2%.

Persistent Territorial Imbalances

The SEPE openly speaks of “significant territorial imbalances” that are perpetuated over time. So, while there are regions that are net importers of workers, such as Madrid, the Balearic Islands, or the Basque Country, others export them. Among the exporters are Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, and the Canary Islands.

Which Jobs Are on the Move?

The Canarian economy—highly dependent on the service sector—imports workers primarily for restaurant services, personal services, protection services, and sales roles. But, curiously, Canarians who leave the archipelago also predominantly have contracts linked to these same occupations. Following this category, the next largest group of departing islanders are those working as technicians and scientific and intellectual professionals. Physicists, chemists, doctors, architects, and university professors are some of the professions included in this SEPE category.

Meanwhile, the second-largest group of workers imported by the Canaries are classified as technicians or associate professionals. This includes pharmacy staff, insurance salespeople, dental assistants, and laboratory assistants.

Main Destinations and Origins

Where do they go, and where do they come from? The flow of labour mobility in the archipelago is more or less similar between certain regions. Madrid, Andalusia, and Catalonia are, on one hand, the top three destinations for Canarians leaving the islands for work. On the other hand, they are also the regions of origin for the majority of those who move to the islands for a work contract.

It should be noted that among those leaving and arriving, there can be both people born in Spain and foreigners residing in other regions who relocate here to work. Of the 43,962 contracts formalised in the Canaries by people who had to move region, 12,867 were foreigners. Similarly, 14,650 of the 50,058 who left were not Spanish nationals.

The Profile of the Mobile Worker

So, what is the profile of the person who comes from other regions to work in the Canaries? Predominantly, it is a man (25,517 of the permanent contracts formalised) under 30 years old (17,475 of the 43,000 registered) who only has primary education (16,372). This profile is exactly the same for the workers who leave the archipelago with the same objective and a contract in hand.

A Small Fraction of the Overall Market

However, it must be remembered that contracts involving mobility represent barely 6% of the 728,607 contracts signed last year in the islands. Consequently, the Canary Islands continues to be one of the regions with one of the lowest rates of labour mobility in the country.

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