Employment in Spanish footwear: four consecutive months of decline

The footwear sector posts four consecutive months of decline in registrations

The Spanish footwear and leather industry has now accumulated four consecutive months of decline in the number of workers registered with Social Security, according to the latest data for June 2026. Specifically, the sector registered an average of 35,611 affiliates during that month, which is 195 fewer employees than in May (-0.5%) and a year-on-year loss of 1,921 jobs compared to June 2025, a decline of 5.1%.

Of the total affiliates, 31,277 belong to the general regime (87.8%) and 4,334 are self-employed (12.2%). Regarding gender distribution, 51.8% are men (18,429) and 48.2% women (17,182). These data reflect a worrying trend that is not limited to a specific month but is consolidating as a structural dynamic within the sector.

Employment is a leading indicator of the health of any industry. In footwear, a sustained decline usually anticipates problems of productive capacity, closure of workshops and, in the medium term, less supply available for wholesalers and retailers. The causes are multiple: lack of generational replacement, Asian competition, rising labor costs and a domestic demand that is not yet rebounding strongly enough to retain labor.

What does this trend imply for the wholesale and retail channel?

For footwear stores that depend on domestic suppliers, the reduction in factory staff can translate into several direct effects. The most immediate is less production flexibility: manufacturers with fewer staff take longer to respond to urgent orders or to adapt collections on the fly. This poses a risk for retailers who need quick replenishments during the season, especially in a context where consumers increasingly demand immediacy.

Furthermore, the lack of qualified workers – especially in trades such as cutting, lasting or finishing – makes the available labor more expensive. That extra cost ends up being passed on to the final price of footwear, which can reduce retailers' margins or force them to raise prices in a market very sensitive to the customer's wallet. In this scenario, those who buy in bulk from large brands or import from countries with lower labor costs come out ahead, while the small local manufacturer loses competitiveness.

For wholesalers, the situation is equally complex. A shrinking production base reduces the capillarity of the Spanish industrial fabric. It is increasingly difficult to find workshops with free capacity to carry out short runs or customizations, a service that many wholesalers demand to differentiate their catalog. Those who bet on "made in Spain" footwear as a sales argument – with labels such as "Made in Spain" or "kilometer zero" – see their main asset eroded if the number of factories continues to decrease.

The data on self-employed workers, which represents more than 12% of the sector, points to an atomization of production: small workshops that work on commission, often without the capacity to scale. This structure hinders the standardization of quality and delivery times, two critical variables for any logistics operator or retailer with multiple points of sale.

Context of the Spanish market: an industry in transformation

The Valencian Community (with Elche and Elda as epicenters), the Region of Murcia (Almansa) and Castilla-La Mancha (Toledo, Almansa again) are the main footwear production hubs in Spain. Historically, these areas have concentrated labor-intensive employment, but in the last decade mechanization and offshoring have been reducing the labor base.

The decline we see now is not a cyclical bump; it is part of a longer trend. The 2008 crisis, the 2020 pandemic and post-Ukraine inflation have been eroding employment. However, the fact that there have been four consecutive months of decline in a year that has had no major external disruptions suggests that the industry is losing appeal for young workers – who prefer sectors such as logistics or technology – and that companies are not managing to replace retirements with new hires.

From a demand perspective, the Spanish footwear market remains highly dependent on imports: around 70% of the footwear sold in Spain comes from China, Vietnam or India. This competition puts downward pressure on prices and forces local manufacturers to specialize in mid-to-high range products or niches (safety footwear, orthopedics, designer fashion). But even in those segments, the lack of staff holds back growth.

For a wholesaler or retailer who wants to continue betting on domestic product, the recommendation is to look for suppliers with medium-term planning capacity, who invest in training and talent retention. It is also worth exploring alliances with local cooperatives or clusters that allow sharing resources. And, of course, diversify supply sources so as not to depend on a single workshop that could be affected by the staff shortage.

On the other side of the scale, the drop in employment can also be an opportunity for companies that decide to automate processes: those factories that invest in digital cutting machinery, robotic sewing or inventory management systems will be able to maintain or even increase their productivity with fewer workers. Digital transformation is the only way for Spanish footwear to remain competitive without relying on a labor force that is increasingly scarce.

Are you looking for a wholesale footwear supplier that faces these challenges with solidity? At CalzadosJAM we work with manufacturers who understand the importance of quality and continuity of supply. Register at CalzadosJAM →