In Spain, indefinite-term contracts are the most common type of employment contract. These are ongoing contracts with no end date and can be full-time or part-time.
Another category—fixed discontinuous—covers work that is cyclical in nature. This is legally defined as “when a need arises for intermittent or cyclical work, at separate time intervals, but reiterated in time and somewhat similar or homogeneous in nature”.
Fixed-term contracts are far less common than indefinite-term contracts in Spain. In December 2021, the Spanish government passed new legislation severely limiting the use of fixed-term contracts. Now, their use is strictly regulated, so in practice it is generally far simpler to provide all employees with indefinite-term contracts.
Fixed-term contracts are now only allowed in two specific situations: production circumstances, and substitution of an employee.
Spain has reduced and consolidated the different types of employment contracts available. Today, there are four types of employment contracts. For the purposes of hiring in Spain, only the above two are relevant.
The four types of employment contracts in Spain are: