Spanish road freight and passenger transport continues recovery with 34,900 new jobs in 2025
Employment jump: concrete figures and immediate logistics signals
Road freight and passenger transport in Spain added 34,900 jobs in 2025, a rise of 3.25% from the 689,200 recorded at the end of 2024 to 724,100 at the close of 2025, according to the Encuesta de Poblacion Activa (EPA) compiled by ANETRA. These are not abstract numbers: more drivers, warehouse operatives and back-office staff mean immediate shifts in fleet utilization, scheduling intensity and short-term recruitment pressure across regional haulage hubs.
Five years of net hires since the pandemic trough
The sector has recorded five consecutive years of job creation since the pandemic-driven low of 575,000 in 2020. That steady rebound signals sustained demand for both freight and passenger services, but it also brings operational challenges: driver retention, last-mile capacity, and training pipelines must scale as headcount grows.
Gender composition: measurable progress in workforce diversity
Progress on gender balance is visible and measurable.
In 2021 women accounted for 12.26% of the road transport workforce (about 73,800). By the end of 2025 that share rose to 15.1% (108,800), an increase of 2.87 percentage points over five years. For logistics planners this means adjustments in recruitment outreach, workplace facilities, and safety training--small operational changes that can improve retention and expand the labour pool.
Table: Key employment milestones (selected years)
| 2020 | 575,000 | - | -- | -- |
| 2021 | 601,000 (est.) | -- | 73,800 | 12.26 |
| 2024 | 689,200 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | 724,100 | +3.25% | 108,800 | 15.1 |
Operational impacts: what transport managers need to watch
The net increase in staff is good news for capacity, but managers should brace for three immediate operational effects:
- Recruitment and training bottlenecks: onboarding dozens of drivers and crew requires training slots, CAP certification coordination, and vehicle familiarisation.
- Fleet deployment pressure: more personnel raises demand for vehicles, spares, and maintenance slots--particularly in regional depots.
- Scheduling and last-mile strain: greater headcount does not automatically resolve peak delivery windows; logistical planning must still smooth demand curves.
Regulatory and infrastructure notes
Ongoing regulatory shifts--digitalisation of the waybill, road toll adjustments, or changes in driver working-time enforcement--will compound effects on dispatch and haulage planning.
Infrastructure bottlenecks (urban loading bays, depot space) remain the silent limiter of growth: hire all you like, but if parking and loading access aren't there the system queues and productivity drops.
Short anecdote from the yard
Walk through any busy depot and you'll hear the same refrain: "More hands, more hustle." I once watched a small operator add twelve new drivers in a single month--sounds great until you see the queue for vehicle keys and PPE. It's no small potatoes: capacity must be matched with orderly onboarding and allocation of assets.
Strategic implications for carriers and shippers
For carriers this wave of hiring offers an opportunity to professionalise: build robust HR pipelines, invest in driver retention schemes, and digitise rostering. Shippers should expect somewhat improved availability for scheduled carriage but also watch for transitional frictions: short-term congestion at terminals, temporary routing changes, and variable service levels as new staff ramp up.
- Shipper action points: confirm pickup windows, allow buffer days for critical shipments, and consider flexible routing.
- Carrier action points: standardise induction, update fleet maintenance schedules, and invest in female-focused recruitment channels to capitalise on the growing pool of women drivers.
How this affects logistics costs and service design
More personnel can lower per-shipment labour pressure and increase schedule resilience, but recruitment and training add short-term costs.
Expect a modest uptick in operational spend in the near term, followed--if retention succeeds--by improved reliability and lower overtime rates. In plain terms: you may pay a little now to avoid paying a lot later in expedited shipping fees.
What the numbers tell us about the sector's resilience
The five-year streak of job growth since 2020 underlines the sector's ability to rebound and adapt. It also highlights the strategic value of investing in workforce diversity and training pipelines.
Logistics stakeholders--carriers, forwarders, and shippers--should treat this as a chance to shore up supply chain robustness, not merely celebrate the headline figures.
Penultimate note and call to action
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Summary and practical wrap-up
In short, the road transport sector's creation of 34,900 jobs in 2025 (up to 724,100 employees) points to strengthening demand for cargo and passenger services, with ripple effects across freight, shipment, delivery, and depot-level operations. Employers must manage recruitment, training, and fleet allocation carefully to translate headcount into reliable service--otherwise you end up with more people in the yard than moving pallets.
For shippers this means watching service windows and planning dispatches with a sharper eye; for carriers it means investing in retention, diversity and process standardisation.
GetTransport.com aligns well with these trends by offering efficient, cost-effective solutions for transport, shipping, forwarding, and bulky-item moves--helping customers with parcel, pallet, container and vehicle transfers in both domestic and international contexts.
Reliable, global, and ready to simplify your logistics needs, the platform can be part of the practical toolkit as the sector scales its workforce and capacity.
References
- ^ GetTransport.com.com (gettransport.com)
- ^ GetTransport.com.com (gettransport.com)