Delivery drivers, the subsector that has gained the most jobs in the Barcelona area in the last two years

BarcelonaThe number of people employed in the Barcelona metropolitan area exceeds 2.6 million, the highest figure ever recorded. This figure, taken as a whole, symbolizes the dynamism and resilience of the labor market, which has grown largely driven by information technology services, but also by other sectors—associated with lower and more temporary wages—such as postal and courier activities. In fact, this latter subsector, that of delivery workers, has seen the greatest increase in employment since January 2024.

These are some of the conclusions of theLocal Economic Report of the Province of Barcelona 2025A report prepared by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the Barcelona Provincial Council assesses the economic evolution of the province and its 13 constituent districts. In the labor market, it also highlights that almost half of all new hires in the region are foreign nationals or over 55 years old, indicating an aging workforce. Since January 2024, of the more than 92,000 jobs gained in the Barcelona region, the subsectors that have contributed the most are delivery drivers (11.3%) and the ICT sector (10.5%), while the sector that has lost the most jobs is 3.2%. However, Carme Poveda, director of economic analysis at the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the long-term evolution of the ICT sector, which in 2024 had 130,485 registered workers, almost double the number in 2012. Conversely, the negative note Poveda pointed out is that female employment in the region is now more male-dominated.

The tourism sector also grew in 2014, both in the number of establishments and beds—including hotels, tourist apartments, and rural tourism—with increases of 18.3% and 9.6% respectively, well above demand, which grew by 2.6% in the number of travelers and 4%.

From the 'rider' law to the population pyramid

Given the significant contribution of foreigners and seniors to new employment, and the emergence of delivery drivers as the most prominent role across all subsectors, several hypotheses exist to explain the behavior of the labor market. Regarding age, it's important to note that the demographic pyramid widens in the 55 and older age bracket, while the 30-45 age group is narrower. "This is related to the number of people in this generation," Poveda stated. However, the analyst also affirmed that more senior occupations often provide complementary added value. In the case of delivery drivers, one possible explanation is the regularization of workers resulting from the application of the law. rider From the Spanish government, which aims to eliminate bogus self-employment in delivery companies like Glovo and Uber, and which the EU has also implemented.

AI, a potential disruptor

When asked about the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market, Poveda suggested that the implementation of this new technology may have negatively affected job creation in certain sectors. Specifically, in the province of Barcelona, job losses have been concentrated particularly in the office administration subsector, with the destruction of 2,743 jobs in 2025, far exceeding the motor vehicle manufacturing and retail sectors, with 867 and 648 jobs lost, respectively. "Artificial intelligence (AI) affects younger generations; we can already see that it negatively impacts job creation for this group because they are the most easily replaceable. Jobs held by senior workers are not being affected as much," she stated. However, she pointed out that this should be analyzed further because they lack data.