Spain: self employment 2021

The number of workers registered in Spain as self-employed decreased over the past decade. The number of such workers dropped from 3.13 to 2.94 million between 2009 and 2011, as the Financial Crisis wreaked havoc 0n the Iberian country’s economy. By 2021, and after some fluctuations, this number had increased to over three million.

Characteristics of a self-employed worker

The service sector the is economic activity that makes the largest contribution to the Spanish GDP. It is also the sector that employs the overwhelming majority of self-employed workers, followed, by far, by the construction sector. The overriding overwhelming majority of those self-employed are Spanish nationals, most of them male and middle aged. More than 1.7 million self-employed taxpayers falls between the minimum monthly salary basis and 1.5 minimum basis, with the 2023 national minimum wage at 1,080 euros per month.

An economy fueled by micro companies

This Mediterranean economy, like many countries, depends largely on small economic units, namely micro and small companies as well as self-employed individuals. The latter make up for a considerable proportion of workers in Spain. However, most Spanish companies can be classified as small or medium enterprises (SMEs). Despite their small staff, the 2.7 million micro firms, defined as having fewer than nine workers, employed approximately 4.6 million people in 2023, far more than the combined workforces of their larger counterparts. That year, SMEs’ contribution to the Spanish economy amounted to more than 384 billion euros. Micro firms alone gave generated almost 170 billion euros in economic activity.