BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH SDG 8

Spain plays an important role in the achievement of SDG 8 through its efforts to promote sustainable economic growth, productive employment, and decent working conditions. The country has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to the UN's 2030 Agenda by regularly assessing the progress made and the challenges yet to be addressed through multiple Voluntary National Reviews, as well as by integrating the SDGs into its national policy framework through the Sustainable Development Strategy 2030 (Ministerio de Derechos Sociales y Agenda 2030, 2021). With respect to SDG 8, Spain has also managed to make tangible progress over the last few years,  achieving remarkable economic growth compared to other European countries over the same period and significantly improving employment protection legislation in its labour market (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2025, p. 10; OECD, 2026, p. 10). According to the National Statistics Institute (2025), seven out of the twelve targets of SDG 8 have already been achieved or have seen significant progress (pp. 31-32). However, structural issues deeply rooted in the Spanish labour market and in its economy pose significant challenges for the near future.

CURRENT CHALLENGES AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Spain’s most pressing challenges with respect to SDG 8 are rooted in the structural deficiencies of its labour market, characterised by persistent skills mismatches that result in a significantly high unemployment rate (Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, 2026, p. 3). Although Spain has managed to steadily decrease its unemployment rate over the last decade, bringing it down to 10.5% in 2025 from the peak level of 26.09% reached in 2013, it nevertheless remains particularly high compared with other European or OECD countries (OECD, 2026, p. 1; United Nations of Economic and Social Affairs [UNDESA], n.d.). Moreover, employment prospects vary strongly across Spanish regions, with differences in employment rates reaching up to 15 percentage points between differen regions, revealing how work opportunities are unevenly distributed across the country (OECD, 2026, p. 2). 

Employment prospects are particularly poor for young people, as fewer than 30% of Spaniards aged 15 to 24 participated in the labour market in 2024, more than 10 percentage points below the OECD average (OECD, 2025, p. 26). In addition, the proportion of youth not in education, employment or training has increased over the past few years, reaching 10.5% in 2025 (UNDESA, n.d.). As reported by the Directorate-General for Economic and Social Affairs (2026), persistent skills mismatches between jobseekers and employers make it particularly difficult for young individuals to find employment, highlighting the need for greater investments to strengthen upskilling and reskilling programmes, as well as to improve the attractiveness of vocational education and training schemes. This would provide young Spaniards with better educational opportunities and allow them to develop key skills that are in high demand within the labour market (p. 3).

Furthermore, labour productivity growth remains limited, lagging behind other European and OECD countries, thereby limiting real wage growth as a result (OECD, 2025, p. 14; OECD, 2026, p. 1). While the Spanish government recently increased the country’s minimum wage to compensate for such low wage growth and to shield low-income workers from the rampant inflation of the last few years, failing to address the underlying stagnant productivity will not solve the issue of stagnant real wages and risks compromising sustainable economic growth in the near future (OECD, 2025, p. 24). 

Despite these pressing challenges, important steps have already been taken in the right direction towards achieving decent work for all, as the Spanish government introduces several reforms aimed at addressing the structural weaknesses in the labour market. In 2022, the Spanish vocational education and training system was reformed and linked more closely to the job market’s needs, while significant hiring incentives were introduced in 2023 in favour of vulnerable unemployed groups (OECD, 2025, p. 2).  

LIST OF REFERENCES AND USEFUL LINKS

Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs. (2026). Spain: 2026 Country Report. European Commission. https://economy-finance.ec.europa.eu/economic-surveillance-eu-member-states/country-pages-including-country-reports/country-report-spain_en

Ministerio de Derechos Sociales y Agenda 2030. (2021). Principales Mensajes España: Examen Nacional Voluntario 2021. United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. https://hlpf.un.org/sites/default/files/vnrs/2021/277942021_Main_Message_Spain.pdf

National Statistics Institute. (2025). Measurement of Progress on the 2030 Agenda in Spain (Publication No. 222-26-002-2). Spanish Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business.  https://www.ine.es/en/ods/medicion_ods_2025_en.pdf

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2025). OECD Economic Surveys: Spain 2025. https://doi.org/10.1787/abc5c435-en

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2026). OECD Employment Outlook 2026: Spain. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-employment-outlook-2026_9c4f5c3e-en/spain_1b574b65-en.html

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Country Profile: Spain. Retrieved September 7, 2026, from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/esp#