Working conditions

Contracts, hours and holidays

Working conditions

The cost of living in Spain is well below the European average, particularly outside of Madrid and Barcelona. However, the average salary is also quite low in comparison to the rest of the EU.

Currently the minimum monthly salary for full time employment is around €750 a month. Salaries are, of course, industry specific and vary based on experience and position held; but the current mean average salary in Spain is around €2,500 a month.

Employment contracts

There are various different employment contracts in Spain but the following are the most common.

Permanent contracts (contratos indefinidos) are for any position for which there is no predetermined termination date, employees have considerably more security with this type of contract.

Short term or temporary contracts (contratos fijos) are used when the duration of employment is specified; this applies to those employed for contracted work or those brought in to cover maternity leave. Employment under these contracts cannot have a duration of longer than three years.

Once you have been offered a job and your contract has been completed and agreed, it must be submitted to the employment office, where a copy is kept. Although not always applicable, if you are required to undertake a probationary period when starting a job, the duration and conditions of it must be stated within the contract.

Working hours

Within Spanish law it is stated that the maximum number of hours an employee is allowed to work must not exceed an average of 40 hours per week. Actual working hours cannot exceed 9 per day and for employees under the age of 18, this is reduced to 8 hours per day.

Traditionally, a Spanish working day has been divided into two parts, the morning from 10am - 2pm and then 4pm - 7pm. However, office hours in Spain are increasingly becoming more like those found in most other countries; with businesses operating between 9am and 4pm and long lunches and siestas becoming more and more uncommon.

The majority of people in Spain take their annual leave in August, so during this month many businesses adapt their working hours to a jornada intensiva from 8am to 3pm.

Overtime

If an employee is expected to work overtime, then this must be included in their contract prior to commencement. The rate of pay for extra hours worked must be agreed in advance or alternatively it can be substituted for time off in lieu.

Legally speaking, an employee can only work a maximum of 80 hours of overtime during the course of a year.

Holidays

In total, full time employees in Spain are entitled to a minimum of 22 days of paid holiday, which must be taken and cannot be substituted for remuneration. Spain also has 14 holidays, both national and local, that are not included in an employee’s paid holiday.

Additional days can be taken as holiday in the event of extraordinary situations. For example, in the instance of a marriage 15 days can be taken and for moving house one day is permitted.

Further reading

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Other comments

  • España y Olé, 12 September 2008 Reply

    Outdated

    Well, this is so outdated and based on stereotypes that I can not believe it. Who takes siesta in Spain? I guess that unemployed people and retirees.

    Are you sure that people from North America have a salary shock coming to Spain?

    • Happy with the choice 02 Oct 2008, 11:53

      Outdated, I think not...

      For a professional to earn decent money in Spain is difficult, lived here 7 years and am from UK. Most people coming from either the U.S. or the UK will take a major pay cut. The pay off is the way and the quality of life.

      If you are in it for the money forget it, unless you intend to set up your own business.

    • Also happy with my choice 09 Sep 2009, 09:38

      I agree.. this is not outdated.

      I came from the US, and experienced SERIOUS salary shock.

    • Not very happy with my choice. 12 May 2010, 12:30

      I agree.... TREMENDOUS salary shock.

      And yes, people go home for lunch and take siestas.. or at least a very long luch break.

    • El Madrilenio 08 Dec 2010, 05:09

      Not outdated chaval!

      I am a Spanish living and working in Singapore, and I have tasted life and good earning while working my ass out. It is indeed true that your blog comes from an unrealistic future time warp. Perhaps, you were kinda drunk or so pampered with tapas the reason you wrote this utopia of Spain earning 21K a yr. Dream on chaval, I am sure where you live in Spain is a paradise. The reality is not in Madrid or Barcelona tio... One must go to Extremadura, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla Leon, Melilla, Ceuta, Aragon or Galicia to savour the reality of Spain's economic reality. Only Navarra, The Balearics, Catalonia and the Basque Country are saved from this economic woes due to their long history of fiscal and economic autonomy,

  • Gerardo, 18 December 2008 Reply

    Makes no sense at all

    This information is very outdated and stereotypical. It is not even close to reality.

    Salaries are higher now than the article suggests (15.000-20.000 in the lower end, and 36.000+ in the upper, not being uncommon 45.000+).

    The salary is negotiated, always, in yearly figures, and most common is to have 12 pays, 14 being the exception nowadays.

    The working hours are very long, but without the long lunch breaks and of course, without siesta (how stereotypical and short-sighted the siesta topic is).

    About the holidays, again, wrong. Normal practice is to get around 22 days of holidays, that then you organize yourself. And with the "puentes", well, if you take a day off and discount it from your holidays for it, sure, you can take it. Just as in any other country, I guess.

    As I said, this article is just so misleading and outdated.

    • Leo 12 May 2009, 05:22

      Don't agree......

      All my 3 housemates get less than 15.000 per year. (House builter, German and English teachers in primery School)

      I did have a very strong shock when I was told by my company that the highest salary they can afford for a new graduated engineer is 26.000!!!

      In France, people from my school can get at least 36.000!

    • Pedro 29 May 2009, 10:29

      Undergraduate dreams

      Almost all undergraduates tend to have very high expectations about salaries, and the reality is that companies know that the availability of graduates is quite abundant now more than ever, and the starting package is rather underwhelming for most getting into the labor force. It is true though, that from the western European countries Spain would be at the lowest position with and average starting salary of 25.000€, Italy 27.000€, France 28.000€, Germany 30.000€... and one of the best, Norway with 34.000€. This changes radically overtime depending on the value that the graduate provides to the company, regardless of the titles and studies.

    • Erika 22 Feb 2010, 08:32

      Siestas still exist

      While studying in Barcelona for 6 months, I saw first hand the number of employees who take siestas after lunch. The custom is still very much alive...

    • gerald 08 Dec 2010, 05:34

      This article is near accurate

      Siestas are still common practice here. However, it doesn't mean that people will actually take advantage. During the middle of the day you will find that many businesses close for up to 2 hours, sometimes 3. Working hours are not unusually long if you factor in the long breaks in the middle of the day. During this time people are eating, drinking coffee, smoking and, if there is still time left and convenient, making a siesta. Also, during the month of august you will find that many businesses are closed for the entire month of august. This is when most people take vacation in Spain. So, between 22 days and 1 month of vacation per year is correct. Also, the salaries are somewhat low if compared to other countries. So, this article is not so inaccurate. This is my first hand account as I live in Barcelona.

  • Sin Vila, 26 May 2009 Reply

    Bullshit

    Is this article dated on the 90's????

    Based on 2006 figures, the Spanish average salary was 21500€/year. Mind due in industrialised areas such as Madrid, Catalonia or Basque Country the average salary goes up to 28000€/year, which contrasts with the southern regions such as Extremadura and Andalucia where the salary ranges 17000€/year.

    By the way,siesta is only practiced in weekends,holidays or by people being on the dole as is totally incompatible with nowadays work pace.

    • Tinks. 15 Feb 2012, 06:52

      To mr. foul mouth...

      I agree with Gerald, I also live in barcelona. I siesta but my friends tend to use the time for shopping or other things - it's up to you how you use your midday break. It's too hot for this UK lass in the summer so siesta I say! Or siesta 'at the beach' for a few hours then back to work blunk

  • N., 02 February 2010 Reply

    I like the Analysis

    The figures are outdated, but if you add a 10-15% increase they surely provide a good picture of the situation, especially now with millions of people unemployed and subsidized by the government “paro” program, an unsustainable package that allows the Spanish working force to live with up to 70% of their salary for close to two years if they lose their job.

    It is important to be sympathetic to the comments made by the Spanish folks in this log, employees at lower-mid management levels work several hours because of the multiple inefficiencies. Culturally speaking people still spend multiple and mandatory coffee breaks at site and encounter long conversation all they long.

    Overall Spain is a great place to live and work, but can be challenging if you are used to the working methodology, as well as the compensation level from other well developed countries.

    • Popy 01 Jun 2012, 07:24

      Agree

      I have been living and working in Spain for a year now and it is true that workers have to either take multiple mandatory breaks through a long day, which makes it hard to manage your time, or do shorter days where you finish at three pm. In my view, it is the most inefficient use of time.

    • Cameron 21 Dec 2012, 06:54

      Siesta? Yes, of course.

      I think people are getting confused by how the siesta is being taken. I live in a small town in Cadiz and my bank opens at 8:30, however, there are only 2 people working in the entire bank; a clerk and a director. If you have business above depositing or withdrawing money, you have to see the director. I can guarantee you he/she will be at coffee/smoke break and unavailable until after 10AM. The bank closes at 2PM. Stores open around 9 or 10AM and close around 1-2PM and reopen around 5-6PM. I am in the process of buying a house and the closing attoney (only one in the town) opens his doors about 10AM and then goes to breakfast.