70% of new employment contracts on Lanzarote are filled by non-Spanish nationals, according to data from the Cabildo’s Statistics Department.
4,460 of the 6,360 new contracts issued in the first quarter of 2026 have been filled by foreign nationals, with Latin American migrants accounting for 2,288 places – a third of all jobs.
EU nationals and Africans account for a similar number of contracts, with around 960 each. 257 contracts went to Asians while the Rest of Europe, which includes the UK, saw 156 contracts.
Five men are employed for every four women, and the most important age group is that between 25 and 45 years of age.
The most important sector for foreigners’ jobs is hotels and catering, which accounts for two-thirds of all contracts. This is followed by “other services” and retail/commerce.
However, the brisk turnover in employment also reflects an island that relies of precarious, short-term jobs, given that over 40% of contracts are temporary hires lasting less than a month. A further 30% are of “undefined” duration, while only 4% (251 contracts) were for defined terms over six months.