The cost of living in Spain is well below the European average, particularly outside of Madrid and Barcelona. Currently the minimum monthly salary for full time employment is around 750euros! And the current mean average salary in Spain is around 2500 euros a month.
Concerning employment contracts in Spain, there are similar to those in France. The most common are:
- Permanent contracts: no predetermined termination date, employees have considerably more security with this type of contract.
- Short term or temporary contracts: the duration of employment is specified (no longer than 3 years); this applies to those employed for contracted work or those brought in to cover maternity leave.
Within Spanish law it is stated that the maximum number of hours an employee is allowed to work must not exceed an average of 40 hours per week. Actual working hours cannot exceed 9 per day and for employees under the age of 18, this is reduced to 8 hours per day.
Spanish siestas
Traditionally, a Spanish working day has been divided into two parts, the morning from 10am to 2pm and then 4pm to 7pm. However, office hours in Spain are increasingly becoming more like those found in most other countries; with businesses operating between 9am and 4pm and long lunches and siestas becoming more and more uncommon.
Legally speaking, an employee can only work a maximum of 80 hours of overtime during the course of a year.
Employees are entitled to a minimum of 30 days of paid vacation per year. This can be improved by contract or collective agreement. In addition, there are 14 public nonworking days per year, which may differ slightly by region.
There is an important fact to keep in mind when talking about work conditions in Spain. The stereotype often involves starting work late, taking two-hour-long lunches and having an afternoon siesta, but Spaniards actually work some of the longest and most inflexible hours in Europe. Today over 60 percent of them believe that this way of working has a negative impact on their family lives.
See you next week!
