Spain isn’t known for its high salaries but there are several sectors in the country that pay €2,500 a month or more.
The average salary in Spain grew by 3.9 percent in 2024 to reach €1,988 per month, according to Social Security data.
However, in reality that figure is unrepresentative of the reality on the ground in Spain.
Few in Spain are taking home that much after tax, and the ‘average’ used here is median, rather than the mode (or most common salary in Spain, which is around €1,300 according to INE data) meaning there are there are many people in Spain who make significantly less than that and those whose salaries are above €2,000 per month and even stretch to €3000 a month.
The report also highlights that the gap between the highest and lowest paid sectors in Spain has now reached €2,783 per month, with the highest paid sector outperforming the lowest paid by over three.
Note that all salaries listed are gross (salario bruto in Spanish) and a monthly wage of €3,000 gross is usually between €2,300 and €2,400 net a month, but that this depends on each person’s tax and social security circumstances.
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According to a new report from Adecco ‘XI Salary Monitor Report’, these high salaries in Spain are usually found in a handful of sectors.
The study breaks down high paid jobs into 18 ‘activity sections’, which belong to three main sectors:
– Industry (Mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity, gas, and water)
– Services (Trade, transport and storage, accommodation, information and comms, finance and insurance, property, professional services, public administration, education, health and social services, Cultural, artistic and recreational Activities)
– Construction (in the study the construction industry was broken down)
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Which job sectors offer salaries above €2,500 a month in Spain?
The energy sector was found to be the most profitable sector for workers in Spain. Employees working in the electricity and gas sector earn on average €4,091 gross per month.
The finance and insurance sector came second overall. In 2024, the average salary was €3,578 gross per month.
In third place was the “IT and communications” sector (the tech sector essentially) which pays an average salary of €3,084 gross per month, with a year-on-year increase in 2024 of +5.8 percent.
Adecco also notes that it is one of the few jobs in which purchasing power has increased since the pandemic, according to the study.
Though not quite at that €3,000 threshold, there are several other jobs in Spain that earn between €2,000 and €3,000 per month.
The ‘extractive industries’ pay on average €2,873 gross per month (a 6.2 percent increase in 2024).
Professional services (lawyers, consultants, dentists and so on) make an average of €2,513 gross per month in Spain (up 5.0 percent year-on-year).
Public administration employees (that is, civil servants or funcionarios as they’re known in Spanish) make €2,417 gross a month on average.
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The best paying job sectors in Spain (gross earnings)
Electricity and gas: €4,091/month
Finance and insurance: €3,578/month
Information and communications: €3,084/month
Extractive industries: €2,873/month
Professional services: €2,513/month
Public administration: €2,417/month
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