Abdel, a 27-year-old young man originally from Morocco, has resided in Tarragona for three years with the hope of obtaining administrative regularization that will allow him to sign a stable employment contract.
Their situation reflects the reality of thousands of people who sustain key sectors of the local economy while awaiting a legal response that will unblock their formal integration into the labor market.
The hospitality industry cries out for labor
Javier Escribano, president of the Association of Hospitality Entrepreneurs of Tarragona, describes the regularization as a breath of fresh air for a sector that is suffocating due to the shortage of available staff.
"The biggest problem we face is not inflation, nor prices, nor any of that, it's the lack of workers, and the economy is slowing down because of that" - Javier Escribano, president of the Association of Hospitality Entrepreneurs of Tarragona
Escribano assures that the immigrant is essential for the hospitality industry and represents at least 50% of the workforce, given that the local population barely opts for these positions compared to the willingness of the foreign group.
The businessman illustrates the case with a profile of a person without prior studies who receives direct on-the-job training and can reach a salary of 1,450 euros per month plus tips and overtime as an assistant.
Data confirming structural dependence
The Idescat figures corroborate this trend in various productive sectors of the province. In agriculture, 35% of employees are foreign, a vital proportion to maintain the harvest.
Construction is experiencing similar growth in the hiring of foreign personnel. The percentage went from 18.7% five years ago to the current 25.6%, which implies an increase from 4,600 to 7,000 affiliated workers.
Francesc Xavier Llorens, president of the Official College of Technical Architecture of Tarragona, confirms that immigration is essential to nourish this sector given the harshness of the tasks and the lower predisposition of the national workforce.
"We are at a key moment, of growth, and we need to solve the deficit of workers. Construction is hard and the national [worker] finds it more difficult, while the foreigner has a very good predisposition" - Francesc Xavier Llorens, president of the Official College of Technical Architecture of Tarragona
In the services sector, foreign presence is also advancing. Data record an increase from 13% to 16% between 2021 and 2026, consolidating an economic model dependent on this migratory flow.
Debate on social and labor impact
Amado Alarcón, professor of Sociology at URV, defends that granting rights to this group establishes a legal floor of salaries that globally benefits the entire working class.
Alarcón considers regularization the solution to the structural deficit of sectors such as construction, hospitality, agriculture, or domestic work, in addition to being necessary to sustain the population pyramid and birth rate.
Àngel Belzunegui, also a sociologist at the URV, points out that regularizations usually respond to the saturation of a market that functions informally and that will now contribute to the public treasury through tax payments.
However, there are divergent positions on the method. Xavier Rigau, president of the Business Confederation of the Province of Tarragona, advocates for controlled immigration with recruitment at the source and prior training.
"We need immigration but controlled, recruitment at the source, of profiles that are needed and with a work contract and with training" - Xavier Rigau, president of the Business Confederation of the Province of Tarragona
Rigau warns that massive legalization could distort the market by incorporating poorly qualified profiles, while Mercè Puig, general secretary of CCOO in the Tarragona regions, estimates 1.5 million migrants are needed to fill positions and combat exploitation.
The barrier of the underground economy
Despite the labor demand, practical obstacles persist. Mariana Isla, director of the Amic-UGT Association, acknowledges that having a job offer facilitates regularization, but many employers prefer to keep the worker "off the books" to avoid social costs.
This dynamic generates instability. Escribano warns that immigrants respond to work as long as they receive fair treatment, because people are not stupid and end up leaving if they are paid for fewer hours than they actually work.