Employment in Marbella

Local Economy

Marbella has one of the highest disposable income levels in the whole of southern Spain and its businesses are vitally important to the economy of the Malaga region, contributing approximately 14% of all trade.

The service sector, including property sales and hospitality, is the city’s biggest employer and accounts for around 60% of all jobs. Trade makes up around a fifth, construction accounts for 14.2% and an estimated 2.4% of residents are working in Marbella’s agriculture.

A business census carried out in 2005 found that there were 17,647 companies in Marbella, but little more than 2% of that number had over 20 employees.

Job Hunting in Marbella

Due to the make-up of the city, many of the jobs available to expats are on a seasonal basis. An influx of tourists during the summer means there is often an abundance of bar positions available, but they tend to die off as autumn approaches.

Longer-term positions for expats working in Marbella do regularly come up in real estate and construction, however. Sales jobs are also popular, but many are offered on a commission only basis so workers will not receive a salary if they fail to hit their targets.

Searching online is a great way of finding opportunities. ThinkSpain generally has a good deal of listings for the Costa Del Sol, while RecruitSpain is also worth checking out. The English site SpainMadeSimple.com features guides for jobseekers that you may also find useful.

Diario Sur, the largest newspaper in the area, has job listings and publishes in print and online in both Spanish and English.

Income Taxation in Marbella

There are two rates of income tax in Spain and the one that is applicable depends on a person’s status in the country. Expats from fellow EU countries and Spanish nationals pay between 19% and 47% of their income. For non-EU residents, the basic rate of tax starts higher at 24.7%.

At present there is a tax allowance of 4,080 EUR for those earning less than 9,180 EUR a year. People earning between that figure and 13,260 EUR receive the same allowance and a 35% reduction on the amount earned between those figures.

All people with a salary over 13,260 EUR receive an allowance of just 2,652 EUR.

As of 2015, the following rates apply for the current Spanish taxation system:

• Up to 12,450 EUR — 19%
• 12,451–20,199 EUR — 25%
• 20,200–34,000 EUR — 31%
• 34,001–59,999 EUR — 39%
• 60,000 EUR plus 47%