A year of records
The Marina Alta labour market has notched up one record after another in 2026, according to figures from the Marina Alta Observatory of CREAMA and PACTE'MA, a project financed by the Valencian Government through LABORA and the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy. In March the comarca already set a record for affiliations and the lowest unemployment since 2008. The Easter holiday season in hospitality and retail pushed employment to new highs, and in May the tourism sector drove growth above normal levels. In July, affiliation to the Social Security system reached a historic peak.
August confirms the year's trend. The comarca remains above 70,000 affiliations, the highest volume for any August in the entire historical record, and adds 3,333 more affiliations than a year ago, a growth of close to 5%.
End of season slows tourism employment
Comparison with July is less favourable. According to the Observatory, affiliation fell in August by 1.48%, a sharper drop than in the same month in either of the two preceding years.
The fall was concentrated in tourism-related activities. Accommodation services lost 350 affiliations compared with July, retail 234 and leisure and recreational activities 118. Between them the three sectors account for 702 of the 1,057 affiliations lost in the comarca during the month, roughly two-thirds of the total.
Against August 2025, however, those same sectors come out ahead. Accommodation has around 1,100 more affiliations than a year ago and retail adds close to 490.
Unemployment rises, but stays at minimal levels
Joblessness increased in August for a second consecutive month. The 77 additional people out of work represent the largest rise for an August month since 2019. Even so, the 7,282 people registered as unemployed is the lowest figure for that month since 2007, and 184 fewer than in August 2025, down 2.46%.
The Observatory estimates the comarca's unemployment rate at 9.39%, compared with 10.04% a year earlier. In the first quarter of 2026, the rate had stood at 10.5%.
Hiring is also growing. Between January and August, 28,566 contracts were signed in Marina Alta, 18.64% more than in the same period of 2025.
Employers' association: shortage of skilled profiles
The Marina Alta Association of Hospitality and Tourism Businesses (AEHTMA) approached the season with positive forecasts. In an interview with COPE Dénia in early July, its general secretary, Reme Cerdà, described occupancy figures as "quite good" and similar to the previous year. She also valued that high temperatures could help extend the tourist season.
Cerdà pointed out, however, the difficulty in finding skilled staff, a problem she said affects all sectors and not just hospitality. She also rejected the claim that the sector offers poor conditions: "The poor conditions in hospitality are not true", she stated, adding that workers are the main asset of businesses.
The comarca employers' association's concern about staffing is not new. In June 2025, AEHTMA warned on the same radio station that the Government's proposal to cut working hours to 37.5 hours per week would worsen the difficulty in filling posts.
A challenge beyond the comarca
Difficulty retaining staff is repeated across the country. According to the Synergie consultancy report on employment in the sector in 2026, covered by InfoHoreca, hospitality registers Spain's highest labour turnover rate, at 63.8%. In other words, almost two out of every three employees change jobs within a year.
The same report notes that the sector closed the last financial year with record revenue of 166,000 million euros, but with profitability 0.7% lower. It attributes this to increased recruitment costs, loss of productivity due to turnover and unfilled vacancies. Moreover, 93% of the young people surveyed considered it necessary to improve working conditions in hospitality.
Employment in the sector, in any case, continues to grow in Spain. According to the Labour Force Survey (EPA), hospitality reached 1.77 million workers in the first quarter of 2026, 4.2% more than a year earlier.
An agreement that expires
Wages and working conditions in the comarca's hospitality sector are governed by the collective agreement for Alicante province. It was signed by the employers' organisations APHA, APEHA, HOSBEC and AEHTMA and the trade unions FeSMC-UGT and CCOO Servicios, and expires on 31 December 2026.
The wage tables for this last year were registered on 14 January and published in the Official Gazette of Alicante Province in February. When the agreement expires, employers and unions will have to negotiate the next one.
New obligations against heat
This summer was also the first with a new occupational safety requirement in the sector. The amendment to the Sixth State-Level Labour Agreement for the Hospitality Sector, signed on 13 April by FeSMC-UGT, CCOO Servicios, Hospitality in Spain and CEHAT, incorporates climate risks into the sector's occupational safety for the first time.
The regulation requires establishments to install cooling systems or close terraces during orange and red heat alerts. The Labour Inspectorate can fine those who require staff to work in those conditions without protective measures.
