Manresa had 7,345 foreign workers registered with Spain's Social Security system at the end of May, equal to 21.74% of the city's 33,780 total affiliated workers, according to official affiliation statistics from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. For local employers, workers and residents, the figure shows that foreign labour now makes up more than one in five registered jobs in the city.

The share is 2.7 percentage points above the Catalan average of 19.05% and is the sixth highest among Catalan cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. Only Vic, Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Lleida and Santa Coloma de Gramenet recorded higher proportions.

The figures come from the ministry's foreign affiliation statistics, while population context for Manresa is available through Idescat, the Statistical Institute of Catalonia. CATALAN's approach to verification is set out in our Source Transparency page.

Manresa ranks sixth among larger Catalan cities

Among municipalities with more than 50,000 residents, Manresa sits in the upper part of the table for the proportion of foreign-affiliated workers.

  • Vic: 32.3%
  • Barcelona: 27.62%
  • L'Hospitalet de Llobregat: 26.54%
  • Lleida: 24.76%
  • Santa Coloma de Gramenet: 24.22%
  • Manresa: 21.74%

At the other end of the same group were Viladecans, with 10%, El Prat de Llobregat, with 11.70%, and Cerdanyola del Vallès, with 11.80%.

What the figure measures, and what it does not

The affiliation data count workers registered with Social Security, Spain's public social insurance and pensions system. That means the statistics reflect registered employment, not the total number of foreign residents living in Manresa.

Separate population series published by Idescat track the city's foreign population and its distribution by district and nationality. Those datasets measure residents, while the Social Security statistics measure people affiliated through work.

Manresa's 21.74% share of foreign-affiliated workers compares with a Catalan average of 19.05%, based on end-of-May official data.

Why this matters for Manresa residents and employers

For business owners and recruiters, the data indicate that foreign workers are a significant part of Manresa's labour market. For residents and local services, the figures also help explain demand for language support, administrative assistance and neighbourhood-level planning.

Readers who want to compare Manresa with other municipalities can consult the ministry's affiliation statistics and Idescat's local population tables. If you spot an error or want to provide local context, you can reach the newsroom through Contact Us.

Primary sources: La Moncloa / Government of Spain, Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, La Moncloa / Government of Spain. Reported by Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya (Idescat), Statistical Institute of Catalonia (Idescat), National Statistics Institute (INE), CaixaBank Research, Regió 7.