Workers in transport and storage · August 2026
1.19 million workers
Monthly change
0%
Self-employed in the sector (RETA)
216,022 self-employed
Sector’s share of all registered workers
5.6%
What the data say · August 2026
Transport and storage had 1.19 million workers registered with Social Security in Spain in August 2026, 3.6% more than in August 2025 and virtually the same as the previous month. 969,017 workers are covered by the general scheme and 216,022 people (18.2% of the sector) are self-employed. The sector accounts for 5.6% of all workers registered in the country.
The sector weighs most in local employment in Guadalajara (13.5% of its workers), Cuenca (7.9% of its workers), Toledo (7.7% of its workers) and Zaragoza (7.2% of its workers): provinces with large ports, logistics platforms or transport corridors.
The figure is the monthly average of workers registered in CNAE section H, published by the Ministry of Inclusion at the beginning of the following month; it covers 52 provinces.
Madrid ranks first among provinces with 240,151 workers in August 2026 (0.3% less than the previous month). It is followed by Barcelona (169,724 workers) and Valencia/València (70,179 workers). Together, the three account for 40.5% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Toledo (+1.8%), Zaragoza (+1.8%) and Málaga (+0.8%); the steepest falls by Almería (−5.2%), Granada (−1.1%) and Murcia (−1.0%). The comparison is limited to provinces that account for at least 1% of the total, so that an extreme swing at a small player does not distort the picture.
The rest of the top ten are Sevilla (4th, 42,535 workers, −0.1%), Balears, Illes (5th, 38,492 workers, +0.3%), Málaga (6th, 38,268 workers, +0.8%), Alicante/Alacant (7th, 37,192 workers, +0.4%), Murcia (8th, 35,893 workers, −1.0%), Zaragoza (9th, 32,545 workers, +1.8%) and Palmas, Las (10th, 29,889 workers, +0.1%).
At the bottom of the table are Ávila (2,067 workers), Ceuta (1,614 workers) and Melilla (849 workers), out of a total of 52 provinces with data.
The distribution is fairly spread out: the top five account for 47.3% of the total and 21 provinces are enough to reach 80%, while the other 42 provinces further down share the remaining 38%. 25 of the 52 provinces with a comparison grew compared with the previous month and 27 fell.
The highest point in the series was August 2026, at 1.19 M, and the lowest January 2024, at 1.04 M; the last twelve points add up to 4.2% more than the previous twelve.
Top 10 · Provinces by workers in transport and storage · August 2026
Sector workers by month · last three years
Full table · 52 provinces
| # | Provinces | Workers | Monthly change | Share of provincial employment | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madrid | 240,151 | −0.3% | 6.4% | 20.3% |
| 2 | Barcelona | 169,724 | +0.6% | 5.9% | 14.3% |
| 3 | Valencia/València | 70,179 | +0.1% | 6.0% | 5.9% |
| 4 | Sevilla | 42,535 | −0.1% | 5.5% | 3.6% |
| 5 | Balears, Illes | 38,492 | +0.3% | 5.7% | 3.2% |
| 6 | Málaga | 38,268 | +0.8% | 5.1% | 3.2% |
| 7 | Alicante/Alacant | 37,192 | +0.4% | 4.8% | 3.1% |
| 8 | Murcia | 35,893 | −1.0% | 6.0% | 3.0% |
| 9 | Zaragoza | 32,545 | +1.8% | 7.2% | 2.7% |
| 10 | Palmas, Las | 29,889 | +0.1% | 6.1% | 2.5% |
| 11 | Bizkaia | 25,158 | +0.1% | 5.0% | 2.1% |
| 12 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 23,504 | +0.5% | 5.3% | 2.0% |
| 13 | Coruña, A | 22,912 | −0.1% | 4.8% | 1.9% |
| 14 | Toledo | 21,015 | +1.8% | 7.7% | 1.8% |
| 15 | Cádiz | 19,781 | 0.0% | 4.6% | 1.7% |
| 16 | Pontevedra | 19,707 | −0.4% | 5.2% | 1.7% |
| 17 | Tarragona | 18,984 | +0.5% | 5.2% | 1.6% |
| 18 | Asturias | 18,644 | +0.6% | 4.7% | 1.6% |
| 19 | Girona | 18,191 | +0.5% | 4.6% | 1.5% |
| 20 | Almería | 17,971 | −5.2% | 6.5% | 1.5% |
| 21 | Granada | 15,434 | −1.1% | 4.6% | 1.3% |
| 22 | Gipuzkoa | 15,115 | −0.1% | 4.6% | 1.3% |
| 23 | Guadalajara | 14,656 | −0.5% | 13.5% | 1.2% |
| 24 | Navarra | 13,657 | +0.2% | 4.4% | 1.2% |
| 25 | Castellón/Castelló | 12,995 | −0.2% | 5.0% | 1.1% |
| 26 | Lleida | 12,832 | −0.6% | 6.1% | 1.1% |
| 27 | Cantabria | 11,873 | +0.2% | 4.9% | 1.0% |
| 28 | Córdoba | 11,556 | −0.5% | 4.3% | 1.0% |
| 29 | Badajoz | 10,607 | +0.2% | 4.4% | 0.9% |
| 30 | Valladolid | 10,343 | +0.5% | 4.5% | 0.9% |
| 31 | Jaén | 10,049 | +0.2% | 5.0% | 0.8% |
| 32 | Huelva | 9,398 | −0.7% | 5.1% | 0.8% |
| 33 | Araba/Álava | 8,594 | −0.5% | 5.2% | 0.7% |
| 34 | León | 8,535 | +0.4% | 5.0% | 0.7% |
| 35 | Albacete | 7,934 | −2.4% | 5.4% | 0.7% |
| 36 | Ciudad Real | 7,789 | −0.1% | 4.5% | 0.7% |
| 37 | Burgos | 7,769 | 0.0% | 4.9% | 0.7% |
| 38 | Lugo | 6,739 | −0.2% | 5.4% | 0.6% |
| 39 | Cuenca | 6,385 | +0.6% | 7.9% | 0.5% |
| 40 | Rioja, La | 5,642 | 0.0% | 4.1% | 0.5% |
| 41 | Ourense | 5,290 | −0.4% | 4.9% | 0.4% |
| 42 | Salamanca | 4,974 | +0.1% | 3.8% | 0.4% |
| 43 | Cáceres | 4,312 | +1.2% | 3.1% | 0.4% |
| 44 | Huesca | 4,132 | +0.3% | 3.8% | 0.3% |
| 45 | Segovia | 3,077 | −0.2% | 4.6% | 0.3% |
| 46 | Palencia | 3,058 | −0.7% | 4.6% | 0.3% |
| 47 | Zamora | 2,633 | −0.2% | 4.2% | 0.2% |
| 48 | Teruel | 2,285 | −0.5% | 3.8% | 0.2% |
| 49 | Soria | 2,113 | −0.6% | 5.0% | 0.2% |
| 50 | Ávila | 2,067 | +0.8% | 3.6% | 0.2% |
| 51 | Ceuta | 1,614 | −0.4% | 6.6% | 0.1% |
| 52 | Melilla | 849 | +0.8% | 3.4% | 0.1% |
What this indicator measures
Social Security registrations in section H of the CNAE (transportation and storage), as a monthly average, according to the Ministry of Inclusion’s registration statistics. It includes the general scheme (employees) and the self-employed scheme (RETA). It is the most precise and fastest measure of employment in the sector: it is published at the beginning of the following month. Provinces are compared by number of workers and by the sector’s weight in their total employment.
Context
More than one million people work in transport and storage in Spain, with Madrid and Barcelona first by volume and Valencia, Zaragoza, Guadalajara and Cádiz among the provinces where the sector weighs most. Road haulage is the activity with the most workers, followed by warehousing and support activities, which include port stevedoring.
Frequently asked questions
How many workers does the logistics sector have in Spain?
1.19 million workers in August 2026, 3.6% more than in August 2025.
Which province has the most logistics jobs?
Madrid, with 240,151 workers in August 2026, 20.3% of the total.
When is this data updated?
Seguridad Social (Ministerio de Inclusión) publishes the data every month. Latest data available: August 2026.
Source
Seguridad Social (Ministerio de Inclusión). To explore the data in detail, use Observatorio Laboral (Spanish) or see the original source.