What is the SEPE shortage occupation catalogue?

A quarterly list, published per province by Spain’s public employment service, of occupations employers cannot fill locally. Hiring a non-EU worker for a listed occupation skips the labour-market test.

Because the match is strict — an exact occupation and the right province — and because the catalogue is dominated by trades and service roles that are more often filled through agencies than online adverts. The searchable catalogue in our guide is the fuller picture.

What does “lapsed” mean on a card?

The catalogue quarter the match was made against has ended and SEPE has not yet published the next one. We keep those matches for one quarter and label them, because the next catalogue almost always carries the same occupations. Ask the employer to check the current list before applying.

Usually yes for these roles — most adverts are in Spanish and the work is customer- or site-facing. The card shows the advert’s language and whether Spanish is required.

Shortage Occupation Jobs

Roles matching Spain’s quarterly SEPE catalogue of hard-to-fill occupations for their province — the employer can hire from abroad without proving no local candidate exists.

1 shortage occupation job1 company

Sorted by

Senior Marine Mechanic (up to 1,400 kW) or Marine Mechanic (up to 750 kW)

Boluda Corporación Marítima7mo ago

On-site in Las PalmasSEPE shortage routeFluent Spanish

What it is

Every quarter the public employment service (SEPE) publishes the Catálogo de Ocupaciones de Difícil Cobertura: occupations, province by province, that employers struggle to fill locally. A job on that list can be offered to a non-EU candidate without the labour-market test that ordinary work permits require.
The employer still applies for the permit; the catalogue only removes the hardest step. Matches here are exact: the advert’s title maps to a listed occupation and its location resolves to a province where that occupation is listed.
The catalogue lapses each quarter and SEPE often publishes the next one late. When that happens we keep matches from the most recent catalogue and say so — a page or card that says “lapsed” means the route was open last quarter and is likely to reopen, not that it is in force today.

Who it’s for

Non-EU workers in listed trades and professions — historically electricians, welders, mechanics, care workers, nurses, drivers, cooks and other skilled manual and service roles.
Candidates already talking to an employer who is unsure about the paperwork: “this occupation is on the catalogue” is the sentence that makes hiring you straightforward.
Seasonal and regional workers — the list is by province, so a role in Almería may qualify where the same role in Madrid does not.

What it isn’t

It is not the shortage list itself — that lives in the guide, searchable in English. This page shows only live adverts that match it.
It is not exhaustive. We match on title and province, conservatively; a role can be on the catalogue under a title we do not yet recognise.

Key numbers

Updated: Quarterly, by province
Labour-market test: Waived
Who applies: The employer
Salary threshold: None (ordinary permit rules apply)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the SEPE shortage occupation catalogue?: A quarterly list, published per province by Spain’s public employment service, of occupations employers cannot fill locally. Hiring a non-EU worker for a listed occupation skips the labour-market test.
Why so few jobs?: Because the match is strict — an exact occupation and the right province — and because the catalogue is dominated by trades and service roles that are more often filled through agencies than online adverts. The searchable catalogue in our guide is the fuller picture.
What does “lapsed” mean on a card?: The catalogue quarter the match was made against has ended and SEPE has not yet published the next one. We keep those matches for one quarter and label them, because the next catalogue almost always carries the same occupations. Ask the employer to check the current list before applying.
Do I need Spanish?: Usually yes for these roles — most adverts are in Spanish and the work is customer- or site-facing. The card shows the advert’s language and whether Spanish is required.