The regularization process for foreign nationals implemented earlier this year has become a primary driver of employment in Spain, with Social Security reporting 3.7 million foreign affiliates, half of whom entered through this spring initiative. Foreigners now account for 76% of new registrations over the last 12 months. Within this context, the domestic worker sector is leading job growth among industries employing regularized foreigners, showing a 15% increase in affiliates compared to a year ago.
According to the latest Social Security data, the special regime for domestic workers has gained nearly 51,000 contributors since October 2025, reaching a total of 392,295 active registrations. While other sectors with high concentrations of regularized foreigners, such as hospitality, commerce, auxiliary services, and construction, are absorbing larger volumes of these workers, none are experiencing employment growth as intense as the domestic sector.
Foreign workers included in the regularization process represent 9% of the domestic worker sector. Although approximately nine out of ten workers remain women, the regularization has significantly altered the proportion of foreign nationals within the system. Data from the Ministry led by Government Spokesperson Elma Saiz indicates that in 2022, foreign contributors to this special regime numbered 113,814, representing 29.5% of total affiliations. Currently, that figure has risen to nearly 43%, with 154,002 foreign domestic workers registered, excluding an additional 35,322 recorded under the general regime.
Despite this progress, the Professional Association of Cleaning Companies (Aspel) highlights that current affiliation figures remain far below historical highs. The record for contributors in these activities was set in June 2015, with over 433,000 registrations. At that time, total affiliates were substantially lower than today; consequently, domestic workers represented 2.5% of all contributors eleven years ago, compared to just 1.7% currently.
Ana Garrido, president of Aspel, acknowledges that regularization has helped reactivate formal hiring but emphasizes significant room for improvement. She notes that while there has been recovery, the level is far from potential because informal employment in these activities remains scandalous. Although expectations are high that regularization will continue to bring hidden jobs into the open, the volume of irregular employment still vastly exceeds the formal sector.
Social Security officials view the improvement in occupancy as positive not only quantitatively but also regarding quality. The department recently began publishing average contribution bases for the special domestic system, which stood at 998 euros per month in the first half of 2026. This represents a 3% increase compared to the same period last year, with women averaging 989 euros and men 1,201 euros. This rise is nearly identical to the increase in the interprofessional minimum wage, a trend not seen in previous years when average bases grew at a slower rate.
Alicia Novalvos, coordinator and spokesperson for the employers' association of cleaning companies, points out that the recognition of rights and salary advances achieved in recent years have translated into higher hourly rates. She argues that since employers are predominantly private families, maintaining regular job creation requires direct hiring subsidies for these households. The business association hopes this pace of job creation and the emergence of submerged positions will continue, though they express skepticism about its sustainability without financial support for families to afford recognized rights.
Sources: El País Economía.