Working in the Canary Islands: the season is in winter

The Canary Islands work differently from Spain's other holiday regions. While summer is what counts in the Balearics and on the Mediterranean coast, the Canaries were Spain's leading destination for international tourists in December 2025 and January 2026 – with 27.4% and 27.8% of all arrivals (INE, FRONTUR). Across 2025 as a whole, they were one of the three regions with the most international visitors, alongside Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.

What a winter season means for your job search

If you work in the Balearics, you apply in spring; if you want the Canaries, keep the winter months in mind. For seasonal workers the two can fit together: when the season ends on a Mediterranean island, the Canaries are heading into theirs. Because tourism runs all year there, some jobs are not tied to a season at all – ask at the interview whether the job is year-round.

The Canaries are part of the European Union as an outermost region (art. 349 TFEU). For EU citizens, free movement applies exactly as on the mainland: work without a permit, register after three months.

Two provinces, two collective agreements

The islands form two provinces: Las Palmas, with Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. In hospitality each province has its own collective agreement, so pay by category, allowances and hours differ between Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Your contract names the one that applies; the text is in the national REGCON register.

The offices

1. 01Padrón: registration on your municipality's population register. In the Canaries it matters twice over – for the health card and for the resident discount.
2. 02Registration and NIE: EU citizens staying longer than three months register within three months of arrival with the immigration office or police in their province.
3. 03Health card: issued by the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS), applied for at the health centre for your registered address. Bring ID or your residence document, proof of social security registration showing your number, and a current padrón certificate.
4. 04SCE job centre: register as a job seeker with the Servicio Canario de Empleo; online you need a digital certificate or Cl@ve. Unemployment benefit is paid by the national SEPE.

The resident discount

Residents of the Canary Islands get 75% off scheduled flights and ferries to mainland Spain and between the islands (Royal Decree 1316/2001). It applies to Spanish nationals and to EU, EEA and Swiss citizens living here; EU citizens prove it with their registration certificate and ID. If you live on one island and work or have appointments on another, that makes a real difference.

Contracts and the off-season

The national rules apply: at most 40 hours a week averaged over the year, at least 30 calendar days of holiday, probation only in writing. Seasonal jobs usually come as a fijo discontinuo, an open-ended contract with breaks. To claim unemployment benefit during the break you need at least 360 contribution days, and you must apply within fifteen days.