Over 310,000 Moroccans Enrolled in Spain’s Social Security System

Casablanca – A total of 310,619 Moroccans were added to Spain’s social security system at the end of May, the Spanish Ministry of Labor, Migration, and Social Security reported.

Moroccans continue to be the most common non-EU foreign workers in Spain, followed by Colombians (112,349) and Venezuelans (111,683), according to figures released by the Ministry on Tuesday.

In the first five months of this year, there were 2,426,625 foreigners enrolled in the Spanish social security system, a 3% rise over the previous month.

The overall number of foreign employees contributing to the Spanish social security system is 1,576,892, with 849,733 hailing from countries outside the European Union.

According to the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE), 879,943 Moroccans legally resided in Spain until January 1, 2022, up 0.8% (+7,184 people) from the previous year.

With these figures, Moroccans continue to be the country’s largest legally established foreign community, accounting for 16% of all foreigners.

In both 2020 and 2021, Moroccan employees were the single largest foreign contributor to Spain’s social security system and ranked at the top of the list of foreigners granted Spanish citizenship.

Before the de-escalation of tensions between Rabat and Madrid, Moroccan seasonal workers were an important part of the Spanish economy, as they served as the backbone of Spain’s industrial, agricultural, and service industries.

When Moroccan workers abruptly left the country due to increased tensions in 2021, Spain faced severe labor shortages and Spanish firms scrambled to fill formerly Moroccan-occupied positions.

However, with the recent reopening of borders between Morocco and Spain, both countries’ economies are recovering slowly and expect to benefit from the beginning of this new diplomatic chapter.