• Hiring forecasts for 2026 in Spain start the year with a more optimistic tone than that shown at the close of 2025. According to the Employment Outlook Survey, prepared from the responses of more than 39,000 companies in 41 countries, net employment expectations stand at 19%. This represents an improvement of two points compared to the previous quarter and also compared to the same period last year.

DETAILS

• 35% of companies plan to increase their workforce.

• 44%, to keep it stable.

• And 18%, to reduce staff.

Although Spain remains five points below the global average (24%), the national labor market shows signs of stability and growth in line with the European average.

In the words of Luis Miguel Jiménez, general manager of Manpower Spain: “The results for the first quarter of 2026 reflect a positive trend in hiring, with Spanish companies showing confidence in their growth plans. Although the development is moderate, it is essential for companies to reinforce their capabilities in strategic sectors and adapt to an increasingly dynamic global economic environment.”

MOST DYNAMIC SECTORS

The sector analysis reveals an uneven, though mostly positive, behavior.

Construction and real estate leads the 2026 hiring forecasts with 38%, which represents a jump of 24 points compared to the previous quarter.

It is followed by Finance and Insurance, with 24% (+3 points).

Industry, which reaches 22% after growing 15 points.

Hospitality also stands at 22%, although it drops nine points after the Christmas campaign.

AT THE OPPOSITE END

Telecom, media and entertainment records the sharpest drop: its forecasts fall by 22 points and stand at 0%.

Also noteworthy at the bottom are Healthcare and public sector (10%, -2 points).

And Energy and Utilities, which despite improving by 17 points, remains at 10%.

DIFFERENCES BY COMPANY SIZE

The size of organizations marks clear differences in hiring forecasts for 2026.

Large companies with between 1,000 and 4,999 employees are the most optimistic, with expectations of 32% and an improvement of 11 points.

They are followed by small companies (10-49 employees), with 21%.

And medium-sized companies (250-999 employees), with 19%.

Micro-enterprises, with fewer than 10 employees, present the lowest forecasts (10%), although they are the segment that improves the most compared to the previous quarter, with an advance of 21 points reflecting a significant recovery in their willingness to hire.

SPAIN VS. THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

At an international level, hiring forecasts for 2026 remain positive, with a net 24% of companies planning to increase their workforces in the first quarter.

40% plan to increase teams.

Another 40% to maintain them.

And only 16% to reduce them.

Spain is five points below that global average, though in line with the European average (19%).

By country, the most optimistic forecasts stand out in Brazil (54%), India (52%) and the United Arab Emirates (46%). At the opposite extreme are Slovakia (-3%), Romania (0%) and Hong Kong (1%).

Source: ORH