Public employment in Spain

Spain: Public employment was 3,444 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
3,444
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
23rd
of 47 countries
All-time high
20,580
in 2007
All-time low
3,371
in 2020
Years of data
17
2005–2023

Public employment in Spain, 2005–2023

5.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k2005201420232005: 19.2k2006: 19.9k2007: 20.6k2008: 20.5k2009: 19.1k2010: 18.7k2011: 18.4k2012: 17.6k2013: 17.1k2014: 17.3k2015: 17.9k2016: 18.3k2017: 18.8k2020: 3.4k2021: 3.5k2022: 3.5k2023: 3.4k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for public employment in Spain is 3,444, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 79.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public employment in Spain peaked at 20,580 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 3,371, in 2020.

That places Spain 23rd out of 47 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.

Public employment in Spain, year by year

Annual values for Public employment in Spain, 2005 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2005 19,207
2006 19,939 +3.8%
2007 20,580 +3.2%
2008 20,470 -0.5%
2009 19,107 -6.7%
2010 18,724 -2.0%
2011 18,421 -1.6%
2012 17,633 -4.3%
2013 17,139 -2.8%
2014 17,344 +1.2%
2015 17,866 +3.0%
2016 18,342 +2.7%
2017 18,825 +2.6%
2020 3,371 -82.1%
2021 3,476 +3.1%
2022 3,483 +0.2%
2023 3,444 -1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 19,861 19,107 20,580 5
2010s 18,037 17,139 18,825 8
2020s 3,443 3,371 3,483 4

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 20 Belarus 4,550 compare
  2. 21 Czechia 4,491 compare
  3. 22 Hong Kong, China 3,749 compare
  4. 24 Paraguay 3,251 compare
  5. 25 Denmark 3,112 compare
  6. 26 Norway 2,973 compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More work & labour data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is public employment in Spain?
Public employment in Spain was 3,444 in 2023, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest public employment recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 20,580 in 2007.
What is the lowest public employment recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 3,371 in 2020.
How does Spain rank for public employment?
Spain ranks 23rd out of 47 countries with data for 2023.
Is public employment rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is down 79.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Spain data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Public employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public employment in Spain. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/public-employment/spain/

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About this data

Indicator
Public employment
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
47 places, 681 data points, 1975–2024
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The total public sector employment covers all employment of general government sector as defined in System of National Accounts 1993 plus employment of publicly owned enterprises and companies, resident and operating at central, state (or regional) and local levels of government. It covers all persons employed directly by those institutions, without regard for the particular type of employment contract. See the working paper: Statistics on Public Sector Employment: Methodology, Structures and Trends. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.