More than half of construction laborers in Spain — 52.6% — are now of immigrant origin. Bricklayers are close behind at nearly 48%, up 16 percentage points in seven years. Since 2019, the sector has lost 22,711 Spanish workers and added 238,451 foreign workers. Foreign workers now make up one in three construction employees, which signals steady demand for labor in the sector.
The MEI (Intergenerational Equity Mechanism) deduction will rise from 0.90% to 1% of the contribution base on January 1, 2027. Workers will pay 0.17% and employers 0.83%. For a €1,500 base, that means €2.55 from the worker and €12.45 from the employer. The mechanism began in 2023 and will climb to 1.2% by 2029, remaining in place until 2050.
More than 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco in the past month. Eight ministers, led by Defense Minister Margarita Robles, will testify before Congress starting on August 25. The Health Ministry has also called an urgent meeting for Monday to coordinate vaccine shipments for MMR, chickenpox, polio, tetanus, and diphtheria.
The Valencian government has raised protected housing (VPO) prices by 16.7% over two years. A 90-square-meter flat now costs €231,120, up from €198,000. Income limits for buyers were also raised, and the protection period was reduced to 30 years. Land swaps will transfer public land ownership to private developers, narrowing access to affordable housing in the region.
Buyers under 36 should have at least €24,000 saved to buy a €400,000 home, according to mortgage expert Ricardo Gulias. Those over 36 need €45,000. For a €100,000 flat, buyers under 36 need €11,000. The figures cover upfront costs beyond the mortgage and give a savings target for property purchases.
Half of all employment contracts signed in Spain in July — 50.4% — lasted three months or less. The average contract duration was 45.83 days, one of the lowest in 20 years. Nearly one in five contracts — 19.4%, or 308,861 contracts — lasted seven days or fewer. The penalty for contracts under 30 days was €33.62, up 3.1% from 2025.
Castilla-La Mancha plans to ban the advertising of tourist apartments on platforms such as Airbnb or Booking unless they appear in the regional tourism registry. The draft law also prohibits renting individual rooms for tourist stays; entire flats must be rented. It has 92 articles and replaces the region's 1999 tourism law. Public consultation closed on August 13.
New flexible retirement rules take effect on Friday, letting pensioners combine work and a pension with more generous incentives. The reform was approved in June and published in the BOE. It expands options previously limited to salaried employees. Workers nearing retirement can now choose more gradual exits from the labor market.
International investors have financed almost all of Spain's debt increase since the end of 2022, amounting to €244,128 million by May 2026. That support has helped Spain weather bond market tensions even as borrowing costs have hit their highest level since 2017. Spain's bond yield has tracked Germany's and has remained better than Italy's and France's.
Central bankers will gather in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, from August 27 to 29 with inflation and energy shocks on the agenda. ECB President Christine Lagarde will attend the annual symposium, which focuses on financial innovation. Eurozone inflation was 2.9% in July and energy prices rose 10%. The ECB was the first among major central banks to raise rates in June, and signals here will shape mortgage costs.
Spain's pension funds could lose €74 billion by 2040 unless new incentives are introduced, according to INVERCO. The industry group wants individual pension plans and investment funds to be included in the European savings account (CAI). Since the 2021 reform, €12.5 billion has stopped flowing into individual plans, and annual contributions were cut to €1,500.
Any owner in a Spanish community can ask the president to add a topic to the next owners' meeting agenda. The request must be made in writing to the president, who is then required to include it. The rule comes from the Horizontal Property Law and gives owners a direct way to raise issues about repairs, budgets, or disputes.
Back-to-school spending ranges from €505 to €1,849 per child depending on school type and region. Cetelem puts the average at €478, up 12% from €425 in 2025. Some 65% of families say they are economically affected, up from 46% last year, and 48% turn to second-hand items, saving an average of €193. A basic basket costs €505.16, 1% more than in 2025.
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