Workers hired through a temporary employment agency (‘ETT’) grew by 23% in the first five months of the year to reach 325,275 in total, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Employment and Social Security.

 Between January and May, the offices of public employment services recorded 1.3 million contracts. This meant that temp agency workers completed an average of four contracts each.

The sector that used ETT most was manufacturing with 30% of the contracts followed by the retail and hospitality sector, with 23% of all contracts. The area that saw the highest growth was professional, scientific and technical activities, up 29%,

According to the statistics, two out of three temp workers in this period were men, and nearly half were under 34 years.

Catalonia was the region where most contracts are made through a temporary agency in the first five months of the year (233,631); followed by Murcia (170,578) and Madrid (189,730). Cantabria saw the highest growth in ETT with contacts up by 42% for the period year on year. Only Valencia saw decreased use of ETT with contracts down 2.2%.

The number of temporary employment agencies operating in the market last year recorded a small rise, after seven consecutive years of decline. In May, the Ministry of Employment had registered 255 ETT, eight more than in the same period last year.