Hire Developers in Spain: Pay, Talent Pool and How to Hire
Spain had 1,060,900 ICT specialists in employment in 2025, 4.8% of all jobs and about 42% more than in 2020, according to Eurostat. Employees in information and communication earned an average of €42,741.94 gross a year in 2024, according to INE.
This page is for founders and hiring managers who are thinking about hiring software developers in Spain. It covers how many ICT specialists work there, how many graduate each year, what the information and communication sector pays, what an employee costs on top of pay, time zone overlap and the ways to hire.
ICT specialists and ICT graduates in Spain, 2020 to 2025
Pay and labor cost in information and communication, Spain
Talent pool in figures
Spain had 1,060,900 ICT specialists in employment in 2025, according to Eurostat. That is 4.8% of all employment, against an EU share of 5%. The number grew by about 42% in 5 years, from 745,100 in 2020, and by 3.7% in the last year. Eurostat flags a change of definition for Spain from 2021, so part of the 5-year growth comes from that change. Women made up 19.5% of ICT specialists in 2025, the same as the EU share.
Spanish universities and colleges added 37,183 graduates in information and communication technologies in 2024, 94% more than in 2019. They were 6.3% of all tertiary graduates, and 14% were women. Graduates of other fields, such as engineering and mathematics, are not counted in this figure.
Developer pay in Spain
Employees in information and communication earned an average of €42,741.94 gross a year in 2024, according to the INE Wage Structure Survey. That is 45% above the average for all employees, €29,540.26, and 7.7% more than in 2023. This is sector pay: it covers every job in the sector, from telecoms to publishing, not only developers. By occupation, the group of other scientific and intellectual professionals, which includes IT professionals, averaged €45,513.91 in 2024.
For a more recent view of what employers spend, the INE quarterly labor cost survey puts the total labor cost per worker in information and communication at €5,004.50 a month in the second quarter of 2026, 5.7% more than a year earlier and 48% above the all-sector level of €3,388.15. This figure includes employer Social Security and other costs, not only pay.
The EU Structure of Earnings Survey gives an occupation view for 2022, for firms with 10 or more employees. Professionals in information and communication earned €3,303 gross a month, and technicians €2,577. Over the year, professionals in the sector earned €45,646, about 79% of the EU level of €57,522.
| Group, Spain, 2022 | Average gross earnings per month |
|---|---|
| Information and communication, all occupations | €2,869 |
| Information and communication, managers | €4,633 |
| Information and communication, professionals | €3,303 |
| Information and communication, technicians and associate professionals | €2,577 |
| All sectors, professionals | €3,183 |
| All sectors, all occupations | €2,247 |
These are averages across all ages and levels of experience. For figures on IT professionals as an occupation, see our software engineer salary guide for Spain. Our average salary in Spain page has pay for the whole workforce.
What it costs on top of pay
Employers in Spain pay 30.65% Social Security on gross pay in 2026, before the work-accident premium, on pay up to the maximum base of €5,101.20 a month. On a salary of €30,000 a year, employer contributions come to €9,195, so the total cost is €39,195 a year. Employees are entitled to 2 extra payments a year, so many salaries are paid in 14 installments. The full breakdown is in our guide to hiring in Spain.
Working together
Mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands use Central European Time (UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer), 1 hour ahead of London, so a team in the UK shares about 7 hours of a 9 to 5 day. New York is 6 hours behind for most of the year, which leaves about 2 hours of overlap, from 15:00 to 17:00 in Madrid. The Canary Islands are 1 hour behind the mainland. The Workers' Statute sets a limit of 40 hours a week on average over the year and no more than 9 ordinary hours a day, and at least 30 calendar days of paid annual leave.
How to hire developers in Spain
We do placement. We source, screen and interview remote developers and other professionals across Europe, then deliver a shortlist of 3 vetted candidates within 21 days for a flat $6,500, or your deposit back. Prefer to run the search yourself? Post a job for $299 and reach candidates who want to work remotely.
Once you have chosen someone, there are 3 ways to employ them:
- Spanish entity: you register a company in Spain, run payroll and pay the employer's Social Security share yourself. It suits a team of several people in Spain.
- Employer of record (EOR): a third-party provider becomes the legal employer and runs Spanish payroll for a monthly fee per employee. Your company directs the work.
- Contractor (autónomo): the developer invoices you as a self-employed worker. The relationship has to be genuinely independent, or it can count as employment.
Euro Remote Talent does not employ people on your behalf. We handle the placement: we find and shortlist the candidate, and you employ them through the route that fits.
See how placement works, post a job or book a 30-minute call.
More on Spain
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and collective agreements can set different terms. Confirm with a local accountant or lawyer before you hire.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average developer salary in Spain?
Official statistics do not publish developer pay on its own. Employees in information and communication earned an average of €42,741.94 gross a year in 2024, according to INE. In 2022, professionals in the sector earned €3,303 a month, according to Eurostat.
How many software developers are there in Spain?
Eurostat counts 1,060,900 ICT specialists in employment in 2025, 4.8% of all jobs. The group includes developers, IT technicians and other ICT roles.
How long does it take to hire a developer in Spain?
With Euro Remote Talent placement, you get a shortlist of 3 vetted candidates within 21 days, for a flat $6,500, or your deposit back. Contract, notice and onboarding time come after that.
Should I hire a developer in Spain as a contractor or an employee?
Both are possible. A contractor (autónomo) invoices you, but the work has to be genuinely independent or it can count as employment. To employ someone without a Spanish company, you can use an employer of record.
Do I need a company in Spain to hire a developer there?
No. You can use an employer of record, a third-party provider that employs the person for you, or a genuine contractor agreement. Euro Remote Talent handles the placement: we find, screen and shortlist the developer, and you choose the route.
Sources
- Eurostat, Employed ICT specialists, total (isoc_sks_itspt). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Employed ICT specialists by sex (isoc_sks_itsps). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Graduates by education level and field of education (educ_uoe_grad02). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- INE, Encuesta Anual de Estructura Salarial 2024, pay by activity section. Checked 30 Oct 2026.
- INE, Wage Structure Survey 2024, pay by occupation, press release of 28 May 2026. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- INE, Quarterly Labor Cost Survey, second quarter 2026, press release of 17 Sep 2026. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Mean monthly earnings by sex, occupation and economic activity, 2022 (earn_ses22_48). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Mean annual earnings by sex, occupation and economic activity, 2022 (earn_ses22_49). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Seguridad Social, Bases y tipos de cotización 2026. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- BOE, Workers' Statute, consolidated text. Checked 30 Oct 2026.
