Balearic tourism jobs: sector takes 31% of vacancies

Nearly one in three advertised jobs in the Balearic Islands came from tourism and hospitality up to August. InfoJobs put the share at 31% in figures released on 22 September 2026. The islands lead Spain, ahead of the Canary Islands on 26% and Andalusia on 10%.

The Valencian Community, the Basque Country and Catalonia each recorded 9%. Across Spain, tourism and hospitality businesses advertised almost 146,000 vacancies between January and August, 2% more than in the same period of 2025.

Hotels still lead, but restaurants gain ground

Hotel businesses accounted for 45% of the sector's adverts, keeping the largest share. Restaurant jobs made up 38%, while tourism jobs accounted for 17%.

The balance has shifted sharply over the past year. Hotel vacancies fell eight percentage points from 53% in 2025, while restaurant adverts rose from 31% to 38%.

Permanent contracts made up 40% of the offers. A further 24% were permanent seasonal contracts and 23% were fixed-term roles.

Waiters were the most sought-after workers, with 36,584 vacancies, followed by cooks on 18,769. Room attendants accounted for 11,647 adverts, kitchen assistants for 7,909 and ground stewards for 3,493.

The average advertised salary in the first half of 2026 was €25,366 gross a year, up 3.9% on the previous year. Hospitality establishment directors were offered the highest pay, at €38,751 a year, followed by chefs on €31,697.

Digital skills remain a pressure point

The Ministry of Industry and Tourism says 42% of companies report that staff shortages damage their business. The Public Employment Service's Occupations Observatory found training needs in collaboration software and digital devices in 90% of the tourism occupations it examined.

Personal skills, often called soft skills, were requested in 40% of adverts in the first months of 2026. At the same time, vacancies asking for vocational training qualifications fell 1.5% to 28,652, while nearly 3,000 required a university degree — 25% fewer than in the first eight months of the previous year.

Topics: Education · Tourism · Food & dining · Politics · Economy

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com