Author
Access to the labour market for refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection is not limited by law or by any other measure in such as a labour market test or restricted access to certain sectors. It is fully accessible under equal conditions to nationals.
As mentioned in the chapter on Reception Conditions, during the first phase of reception, asylum applicants are provided with financial support for requesting the recognition of their studies or professional qualifications when this is feasible. This financial support is welcomed as recognition process usually undertakes important expenses for the legalisation and the translation of the documentation. Unfortunately, financial support is often not sufficient for guaranteeing full coverage to recognition related expenses. In the following two phases, beneficiaries of international protection are required to be more financially self-sufficient, providing financial help for punctual support, as self-sufficiency is hardly achievable.
Reception centres in Spain provide educational aid to facilitate parents’ attendance at training courses, such as providing their children with nurseries, school canteens, or teaching materials.[1]
Nonetheless, as mentioned in the section on Reception Conditions: Access to the Labour Market, all persons within the 18-month long process are provided with individualised schemes to support their training, qualification recognition etc. After they complete the 3-phase process, beneficiaries can still access labour integration and orientation services provided by NGOs addressed to the migrant population in general. These generalised services are funded by the Ministry of Inclusion and co-financed by EU funds, and include personalised schemes, employment orientation, vocational trainings, support in drafting CV, etc. In general, the same NGOs who provide for reception conditions and have an employment service continue to support beneficiaries who require or need it. For example, Accem runs an employability program with IKEA since 2017, which foresees the provision of vocational trainings as well as internship opportunities at its shops. The organisation also manages a program with the Fundación Tent, which consists in a mentorship program with women and carried out by professionals from companies, with the aim of supporting and empowering them in defining their skills for the job search in a concrete sector and in developing such professional competencies. Similarly, Accem collaborates with the Grupo Northius, a platform for digital education, which has granted 20 scholarships for the participation of beneficiaries in different vocational trainings aiming at improving the employability of participants.[2]
Even when they are granted with refugee or subsidiary protection status, in the practice many beneficiaries face obstacles entering the labour market due to language, qualifications, and discrimination-based obstacles. This situation is made worse by the fact that the Spanish economy went through a long economic crisis, which led the country to high levels of unemployment, affecting both migrants and Spanish citizens. In addition, many companies lack information on labour laws and permits on their applicability in the cases of asylum seekers and refugees, which in turn hinders their access to the job market.[3]
In April 2021 a group of Syrian refugee journalists created the bilingual digital media Baynana (in Spanish and in Arabic) with the support of the Foundation por Causa.[4] CEAR and the Casa Árabe (a centre promoting Arabic culture, art and language) launched in Madrid the initiative ‘Acoge un Plato Catering’ during the summer of 2021. It aims at promoting Arabic gastronomy, as well as social and labour inclusion for refugees in Spain.[5] The project, which employees 14 between refugees and migrants, continued to be implemented in 2022.[6] In addition, within such an initiative, CEAR published a cookery book in September 2022, which gathers the recipes and histories of the refugees who participated in Acoge un Plato.[7] In July 2023 the initiative was present with a food truck at the Río Babel Music Festival in Madrid.[8]
The recognition of diplomas and degrees in Spain has always been a challenge for migrants and refugees due to bureaucratic burdens, with waiting times ranging from 9 months to 2 years. In March 2021, the Ministry of Universities announced the intention to adopt a new procedure for the recognition of diplomas, that aims at reducing the length of the procedure.[9] A proposal for a Royal Decree modifying the previous legislation was launched on October 2021[10] and the law was approved in October 2022, establishing the deadline of 6 months for the administration to decide on diploma recognition.[11]
In July 2022, a reform of the Regulation of the Immigration Law was adopted, aiming at widening the possibilities of employment of third country nationals in Spain.[12] Among others, the reform introduces the residence permits for ‘training roots’ reasons (arraigo por formación), meaning that any undocumented person living in Spain for 2 years can access a vocational training and thus employment. The reform also modifies the already existing figure of residence permit for ‘social roots’ reasons (arraigo social), by easing the requirements requested for obtaining it. While acknowledging the improvements that the reform introduces, different organisations (i.e. Andalucía Acoge, Cáritas, CEAR, Convive Fundación CEPAIM and Red Acoge) regret its limited scope and underline the necessity to continue in its improvement in order to tackle other relevant issues (i.e. family reunification, the issuing of visa for job search, a better synergy between the immigration and asylum laws, etc.).[13] As underlined by Accem, was an increase of 98.5% in the number of persons who receiving a residence permit for any of the ‘roots’ reasons in the year following the adoption of the reform, with 15,019 having been granted a permit on the ground of ‘training roots’ until June 2023.[14]
In March 2023, the municipal public transport entity ‘ETM’ of Valencia launched, together with the NGO ‘CEAR’ the initiative ‘ETM Refugio’, consisting in the provision of free passes for public transports to asylum seekers and refugees, with the aim of improving their social and labour inclusion.[15] In April 2024, the validity of the initiative was extended until April 2025.[16]
The NGO ‘CEAR’ continued to denounce the challenges that migrants, asylum seekers and refugees face in accessing employment, mainly due to prejudices and stereotypes, slow administrative asylum procedures, precarious and insecure jobs they usually access.[17]
Accem launched the campaign ‘Tents of Hope’ to raise awareness on the value that refugees bring to the labour market and to the society.[18]
On the occasion of the World Refugee Day, UNHCR and the Ministry of External Affairs organised the ‘Forum Spain with Refugees’, with the aim of mobilising and making visible projects and good practices in the inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees in Spain.[19] The Forum, preparatory to the Global Refugee Forum, to mobilise concrete pledges from Spanish civil society including the private sector, primarily focusing on enhancing integration opportunities across various domains including economic inclusion, access to higher education, community-based reception, community engagement and support for refugee-led organisations and sports initiatives. Over 40 pledges related to refugee inclusion were made, laying the ground for more durable solutions in Spain, and stronger support by Spain at the global level.[20]
In addition, the ticket of the Spanish national lottery of 17 June was dedicated to the World Refugee Day.[21]
In June, Spain took part to the 2nd Unity Euro Cup, a football competition organised by the UNHCR and UEFA, with 11 refugees (9 men and 2 women).[22] Initiatives such as the UNHCR UEFA Unity Cup, Fútbol Más, Special Olympics, Women’s Race, Football Club Ramassà and Crew Together facilitated refugees’ access to local sports facilities in 2024. A pilot programme with FEMP, the Spanish Olympic Committee and various cities aimed to improve access is being also developed.[23]
Increasing arrivals in 2024 put a focus on the need to support longer-term integration. Building on the positive response related to the arrival in large numbers of Ukrainians in the past years and on the results of the Spain with Refugees Forum, more opportunities arose especially for private sector engagement, and many initiatives started to consolidate, providing more meaningful opportunities for refugee integration and inclusion through employment, education, sports and refugee participation.
A Memorandum of Understanding with the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) was signed to promote local refugee inclusion.
UNHCR helped organizations such as Bridge for Billions and Fundación Hazloposible to adapt their programmes to meet the needs of refugees and offer services for local integration.[24]
Following a proposal made by the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, in July 2023 the Council of Ministers approved the funding of EUR 1.5 million until 2026 to the Spanish Olympic Committee with the aim of promoting sports within the reception systems for migrants and refugees.[25]
In December 2023 the Government of Cataluña launched a call to look for mentors, with the aim of supporting asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection in their integration process.[26] Since the launch of the programme in 2017, 1,286 mentors and 961 mentees have participated in the initiative.[27]
In June 2024, the Government and IKEA signed a protocol to foster refugees’ employability, which obectives include, among others, certification of professional competences, access to the job market, learning of Spanish, etc.[28]
In August, the organisation Zehar-Errefuxiatuekin published a leaflet explaining the different administrative situations of persons within the international and temporary protection legislation, to support companies in hiring applicants and beneficiaries of international protection and temporary protection.[29]
In October, the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration launched projects to foster the employability of beneficiaries of international protection with different companies (i.e. IKEA, Amazon, Cisco Systems, Grupo COBRA and INECO), with the aim of fostering their integration in the labour market.[30]
In February 2025, the Banco Santander joined the initiative Tent España, a coalition of more than 50 big companies aiming at fostering the access to the labour market for asylum seekers and refugees through vocational trainings and offering job opportunities.[31] In addition, in a discussion with the leaders of different national and international companies held for the commemoration of the 1st anniversary of the business coalition Tent España, the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration called to companies to join initiatives which foster the employability of asylum seekers and refugees.[32]
During the same month, the Asociación KARIBU, Catalyst 2030 Spain, TRIPLE and United Way España within the worldwide Conecta Community and in collaboration with Bridge for Billions launched the programme IMPACTA, aiming at fostering entrepreneurship skills of migrants, refugees and persons at risk of social exclusion.[33]
During 2024, UNHCR continues working on the identification, support and development of initiatives that favour the labour inclusion and employability of applicants and beneficiaries of international protection and stateless people in Spain. Some of these initiatives are the collaboration with the Green Jobs Platform, an alliance involving the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), the Spanish Green Growth Group, ECODES and Ingeus, also with Grupo Social ONCE and ILUNION to promote labor inclusion of refugees with disabilities. Moreover, UNHCR has collaborated with TENT Foundation and Red Acoge reviewing the content of the Guide to Recruitment for Refugees in Spain, published in 2021. UNHCR has also developed a project with Unión Professional to promote the employability of refugees. In addition, UNHCR has a collaboration with INDITEX in its SALTA programme to support five refugees to work in the at INDITEX’s Meco Logistics Platform. ESADE University, in collaboration with UNHCR, has worked to improve the employability and to empower 80 refugee women in Spain in 2024 through the short-term educational programmes “Making Change Happen” and “Building Digital Equity” .[34]
The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations worked to enhance its model for supporting refugees’ access to livelihoods and economic inclusion, leading to an agreement with the UNHCR to provide expert support for six months, starting in November 2024.[35]
[1] European Migration Network, ‘Integration of applicants for international protection in the labour market’, October 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/yeuzscsf.
[2] Information provided by Accem’s employment service in March 2023.
[3] Newtral, ‘La falta de información dificulta el acceso al mercado de trabajo a los solicitantes de asilo y protección internacional’, 13 January 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3Kk4RHV.
[4] Baynana, available at: https://bit.ly/3eOZGky.
[5] CEAR, ‘Acoge un Plato inaugura restaurante en la terraza de la Casa Árabe de Madrid’, 24 June 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3mYrO9l.
[6] Cadena Ser, ‘”La cocina es la manera más fácil de integrar”: así funciona el proyecto más sobroso de la Comisión de Ayuda al Refugiado’, 18 August 2022, availableat: https://bit.ly/3AxOOSL; CEAR, ‘Acoge un Plato’, available at: https://bit.ly/3F1qHOo.
[7] CEAR, ‘Recetario de celebraciones Acoge un Plato’, September 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3W1s2vB.
[8] CEAR, ‘‘Acoge un Plato’ acercará a Río Babel las recetas de personas refugiadas’, 27 June 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/48m7k84m.
[9] El País, ‘Miles de inmigrantes podrán homologar su título universitario en seis meses para ejercer en España’, 24 March 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3DgaL9H.
[10] El Economista, ‘Universidades abre en audiencia pública el Real Decreto de homologaciones de títulos’, 13 October 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/36xuTrX.
[11] Cope, ‘Gobierno limita a seis meses el plazo para homologar los títulos extranjeros’, 18 October 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3XDWbCn.
[12] El Periódico, ‘El Gobierno aprueba la reforma de extranjería para sumar a miles de migrantes al mercado laboral’, 25 July 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3pDUrcM; República, ‘Entra en vigor la reforma que facilita la incorporación de extranjeros al mercado de trabajo’, 15 August 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3AjruYr; Boletín Oficial del Estado, ‘Real Decreto 629/2022, de 26 de julio, por el que se modifica el Reglamento de la Ley Orgánica 4/2000, sobre derechos y libertades de los extranjeros en España y su integración social, tras su reforma por Ley Orgánica 2/2009, aprobado por el Real Decreto 557/2011, de 20 de abril’, 27 July 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3c94J1H.
[13] Andalucía Acoge, ‘Reglamento de extranjería: una reforma necesaria, aunque limitada’, 27 July 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3wqWdlw; Andalucía Acoge, ‘Resumen reforma ley extranjería’, August 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3PCtCAo.
[14] Accem, ‘Se duplican las autorizaciones de residencia por la vía del arraigo y te explicamos por qué’, 6 October 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/3dffar57.
[15] El Periodic, ‘La EMT lanza “EMT Refugio”, un nuevo bono gratuito para refugiados o solicitantes de asilo’, 13 March 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/2m3bz67k.
[16] Valencia Plaza, ‘La vigencia del bono EMT Refugi se amplía hasta abril de 2025’, 26 April 2024, available here.
[17] CEAR, ‘Por el derecho a un empleo digno de las personas refugiadas’, 28 April 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/526afwmt.
[18] Murcia.com, ‘´Tents of hope´: una campaña para descubrir el valor que aportan las personas refugiadas al mercado laboral y a la sociedad’, 18 May 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/msf3j9aw.
[19] Servimedia, ‘Acnur y Asuntos Exteriores organizan un foro para animar a la sociedad civil a plantear propuestas de inclusión de refugiados’, 18 May 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/8ppx6xk9; ACNUR, ‘Día Mundial del Refugiado 2023: Foro España con los Refugiados’, June 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/mr3zrrme.
[20] Information provided by UNHCR in April 2024.
[21] Europa Press, ‘El Día Mundial de las Personas Refugiadas protagoniza el décimo de Lotería Nacional de este sábado’, 13 June 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/4vcsnfvt.
[22] Europa Press, ‘España jugará la segunda Unity Euro Cup, competición para refugiados de ACNUR y UEFA’, 27 June 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/4dcmppa2.
[23] Information provided by UNHCR in March 2025.
[24] Information provided by UNHCR in March 2025.
[25] Europa Press, ‘Aprobada una subvención al COE de 1,5 millones para favorecer el deporte en los centros de acogida’, 4 July 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/yc3truz2.
[26] Diari Mes, ‘La Generalitat busca mentores para acompañar a solicitantes de asilo’, 7 December 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/2vndktev.
[27] El Periódico, ‘Se buscan mentores para refugiados: cuando un informático catalán se convirtió en el “hermano mayor” de un abogado afgano’, 20 June 2024, available here.
[28] La Revista de la Seguridad Social, ‘El Gobierno e IKEA firman un protocolo para facilitar la empleabilidad de los refugiados en España’, 10 June 2024, available here.
[29] Zehar-Errefuxiatuekin, ‘Información útil para la contratación de personas refugiadas’, August 2024, available here; El Diario, ‘GUÍA | Información útil y documentación necesaria para contratar a personas refugiadas en tu empresa’, 31 August 2024, available here.
[30] La Moncloa, ‘Migraciones impulsa programas de formación con multinacionales para solicitantes de protección internacional’, 28 October 2024, available here; La Moncloa, ‘Migraciones impulsa la integración laboral de refugiados con alianzas estratégicas y formación a medida’, 20 December 2024, available here.
[31] Santander, ‘Banco Santander se une a Tent España para impulsar la inclusión laboral de las personas refugiadas’, 19 February 2025, available here.
[32] Ministerio de Inclusión, Securidad Social y Migraciones, ‘Elma Saiz llama a las empresas a unirse a iniciativas que apuesten por la empleabilidad de las personas refugiadas’, 19 February 2025, available here.
[33] Programa IMPACTA, available here.
[34] Information provided by UNHCR in March 2025.
[35] Information provided by UNHCR in March 2025.