The 15 best career paths in Spain

Looking for work in Spain? Read on to find your ideal career

Looking for a job in Spain has become more difficult in the past few years. Finding employment on the Costa del Sol pre-2008 was relatively straightforward provided you were prepared to work hard and chance your arm at a variety of careers.

Since the subsequent economic downturn, though, jobs have been increasingly scarce throughout the country, with unemployment reaching 26% and thousands of young, educated Spaniards heading overseas to work as waiting staff, cleaners and bar tenders in countries all over northern Europe.

But recent labour reforms in Spain have helped make the market more competitive again, and although unemployment is only falling very slowly, the red jagged line is going in the right direction once more. So if you are looking to move to Spain for work but fear that you may not be able to gain meaningful employment, all is not lost – human resource consulting company Adecco has recently put together its top 15 in-demand positions for Spain this year, based on current skills shortages and anticipated growth areas…

So take a look – could you see yourself in one of these roles?

Account manager in banking or insurance: Not the most exciting work, but those armed with a university degree or financial training could be in luck. According to Adecco, these industries currently lack a number of skilled, results-oriented workers, so if you have the qualifications and speak Spanish, perhaps this is a path to pursue?

Airport ground staff: This sounds a little more fun, right? Again, Spanish is a prerequisite (as is English), and individuals must be hardworking, flexible and approachable, but Spain’s booming tourism sector is constantly on the lookout for skilled communicators to work at the country’s busy airports, says Adecco.

SEO-SEM consultant: The fields of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) are highly specialised, but the required skills can be quickly learnt if you have the desire to follow this career path. You need a good grasp of written English and a solid understanding of how Google works, but Adecco says that SEO/SEM careers are blossoming in Spain.

Call centre work: Whether inbound or outbound, if you can speak Spanish and hack the fast-paced environment, call centre work is always an employment option in Spain. There are not many call centres per se on the Costa del Sol, but Adecco says that large multinational insurance companies are eyeing Spain as a future location for their call centres, so career opportunities are set to increase.

Food industry R&D: 20% of Spain’s industrial workers are employed in the food industry, with Adecco saying that lab technicians or R&D workers are in high demand as Spain ramps up its hygiene standards. However, appropriate qualifications or vocational training is likely to be required.

Motor industry production: As Spain’s car export industry continues to grow, production line workers with specialist skills are in huge demand. Although often repetitive and long hours, work in Spain’s car factories is quite well paid and stable, and requires little in the way of direct experience, says Adecco.

Kitchen staff: But not just any kitchen staff: kitchen staff in fine dining restaurants. According to Adecco, presentable, highly skilled waiting staff, creative chefs and innovative marketers are required throughout Spain’s top-end culinary industry – much of which exists on the Costa del Sol.

Industrial engineers: These highly specialised roles require a great deal of experience and the appropriate qualifications, but if you’re a civil, mechanical, process or electrical engineer with good English and Spanish, firms will be falling over themselves to offer you a (well-paid) position, says Adecco.

Multilingual shop assistant: The clue is in the title: being able to converse in Spanish and English (German and/or Russian would be an added bonus) will get you far in retail in most places in Spain, especially the Costa del Sol.

Healthcare technician: If you’ve got patience, empathy, direct experience of care giving and the ability to converse in Spanish, then stable healthcare work is available across Spain, according to Adecco.

Executive assistant: Ah yes, those guys who sidle up to the big cheese CEOs in large multinational companies – glorified PAs, essentially – get paid well, and are in demand in Spain. Excellent English, good business qualifications and fluent Spanish are essential, however.

Senior Java architect: Now this one is extremely specialist, but, again, if you have the skills, Spain will happily pay your bills. The IT sector rode out Spain’s economic storm pretty well, and those with the required experience with Java can find gainful employment in nearly all corners of Spain.

Industrial maintenance technician: Last but not least, if you consider yourself a qualified maintenance technician with knowledge of SAP and good Spanish and English, numerous Spanish companies are likely to beat a path to your door, say Adecco.