Spanish workers lose 0.4% in purchasing power despite wage gains, InfoJobs says
SPY•InfoJobs found Spanish workers lost 0.4% in purchasing power in the first half of 2026 as advertised salaries rose 2.8% to €28,093; rent absorbed an average 50% of gross salaries.
1. Pay and housing costs
InfoJobs' analysis found Spanish workers lost 0.4% in purchasing power in the first half of 2026, despite average gross annual salaries advertised in job postings rising 2.8% to €28,093. Rent absorbed an average 50% of workers' gross salaries, three percentage points more than a year earlier, while buying an 80-square-meter home required the equivalent of 8.4 years of gross pay.
2. Youth unemployment
Spain's youth unemployment rate reached 22.8% in September, compared with the European Union average of 15.5%.
