71% of Migrant Youth Who Arrived in Spain as Minors Are Employed

71 % of migrants aged 18‑23 who came to Spain as unaccompanied minors are registered with Social Security, a jump of 37 points since 2021, driven by the 2021 reform of the immigration regulations.

Key Findings

• The Permanent Immigration Observatory of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration reports that, as of 30 June 2025, 20,072 foreign minors under guardianship or “extutelar” youths (ages 16‑23) held valid residence permits in Spain.
• Of this total, 12,418 people (62 %) had at least one day of employment registered with Social Security in June 2025, compared with only 27 % four years earlier.

Employment by Age

• Older group (18‑23 years): affiliation rose from 34 % in June 2021 to 71 % in June 2025.
• Younger group (16‑17 years): although they are allowed to work, many remain in the protection system and focus on training; their employment rate increased modestly from 6 % to 15 %.

“The reform automatically grants the right to work to all minors from age 16 and eases the renewal of authorisation at 18,” the report notes.

Sectors of Activity

• Hospitality: 30 % of employed minors and extutelar youths.
• Administrative and auxiliary services: 15 %.

The sectoral distribution varies with age:

• 16‑17‑year‑olds: more than half work in hospitality.
• 18‑23‑year‑olds (out of guardianship):
  • 29 % in hospitality
  • 16 % in administrative/auxiliary services
  • 12 % in construction

Growth Over Four Years

• The number of foreign minors under guardianship or extutelar youths (16‑23) with valid residence permits more than doubled from 7,878 in 2021 to 20,072 in June 2025.
• Age breakdown: the largest cohort is 18‑year‑olds (23 % or 4,632 individuals).
• Gender balance remains skewed, with women representing only 6 % of the total.

Nationality Breakdown

• Four years ago, Moroccan youths accounted for 76 % of this population; today they represent 57 %.
• Male migrants: predominantly from Morocco (57 %), Gambia (13 %), Algeria (10 %) and Senegal (7 %).
• Female migrants: mainly from Morocco (48 %), Colombia (7 %), Algeria (5 %) and Senegal (4 %).