TOURISM TAKEOVER: One in five Malaga workers now employed by travel industry

Zoom

The Costa del Sol shatters records as tourism jobs hit 153,819 - making the sector more dominant in Malaga than in almost any other part of Spain

Pilar Martínez

Malaga

Friday, 10 April 2026, 10:26

Malaga’s dependence on the holiday trade has reached a new peak, with tourism now accounting for 20.4% of the province’s entire working population.

Despite fears that the post-pandemic "travel boom" would cool off, 2025 proved to be a historic year for job creation, adding 12.5% more workers to the industry's payroll.

At a glance: The Malaga tourism machine

• Dominance: Over 20% of all workers in Malaga are employed in tourism.

• The Record: 153,819 jobs created in 2025—a 12.5% jump from the previous year.

• The Drivers: Hospitality (76,000+ jobs) and Accommodation (26,000+ jobs).

• Peak Season: Employment hit an all-time high of 169,500 workers in the third quarter of last year.

A record-breaking 153,819 people now earn their living through tourism in the province, a figure that dwarfs the national average of 12-13%. While the hospitality sector remains the undisputed king - employing over 76,000 waiters, cooks, and bar staff - the growth was felt across the board in hotels, transport, and tour agencies. Only the car rental sector saw a slight dip, showing signs of stagnation as visitors pivot toward other transport options.

Furthermore, the report makes clear that tourism employment on the coast keeps growing. It's worth noting that the sector ended 2024 with almost 7% more workers than in 2023. This renewed momentum meant that the sector's main activities contributed to providing employment for 18% of the province's total workforce in 2024..

Big Data from Turismo Costa del Sol indicates that 13,683 companies are involved with this industry, representing an increase of almost 3%.

During the presentation of the 2025 financial results, head of Turismo Costa del Sol Francisco Salado said that the destination received a total of 14.65 million tourists, a 1.19% increase compared to 2024. This record figure makes it the best year ever for tourism in Malaga. The industry generated an economic impact of more than 21.81 billion euros in the province, 2.8% more than in 2024 and another historic record for the sector.

13,683

companies were affiliated with the tourism sector in 2025, which represents an increase of 3%

The study highlights that the third quarter of last year marked the peak of tourism employment in the province's history, reaching 169,500 workers. This milestone coincided with a high season that proved crucial in closing 2025 with 7.95 million visitors staying in the province's hotels, tourist apartments, rural accommodations and campsites.

Despite this, these establishments did not reach the 2024 figures, registering a 1.1% decrease. The volume of nights booked across all types of accommodation, with the exception of tourist flat rentals, also dropped - 30 million, 1.4% less than in 2024.

Worker profile

Regarding the employee profile, the Costa del Sol report indicates that 78% are Spanish, 88% are salaried employees and 78% have permanent contracts. Of the total, 86% work full-time. The report shows growth in each of these figures and points to improvements that include more stable and higher-quality employment.

During the presentation of the 2025 report, regional minister Arturo Bernal stated that the tourism sector had generated employment for 482,000 workers in the region, a 10% increase, with historical peaks of up to 531,000. He said that these jobs are more stable due to the reduction of temporary employment to 20%.

Bernal stated that "the year-on-year growth is one of the highest rates in the historical record". "Tourism generated 43% of all jobs created in Andalucía during the year. It is a fundamental driver for the region's prosperity and for the creation of stable, quality employment opportunities. We have moved beyond the model that prioritised the number of tourists and now we focus on the impact this industry has on the well-being of Andalusians," the regional minister said.

Bernal linked this positive performance of the industry to its strong international presence, noting that "Andalucía has the best air connectivity in the history of the region, with 139,265 flights and 19.6 million passengers, and a strategy based on sustainability, quality, innovation and legal security, supported by the law".

Tourism employment also reached record highs in Spain as a whole

Tourism employment in Spain also reached a historic high in 2025, exceeding 2.75 million workers registered with Social Security during peak months, representing approximately 12-13% of the country's total workforce. This highlights its smaller weight in the overall national economy compared to the province of Malaga.

Nationally, the sector consolidated its recovery with steady job growth, particularly in the hospitality and tourism activities segments. These figures come from the national institute of statistics (Ine), which notes that salaried employment predominated among tourism workers, with significant increases, alongside growth in self-employment. Regarding the most active sectors, the institute points to hospitality and passenger transport. Both led job creation, driven by a record number of visitors: more than 96 million.