Working in Menorca

After the Coronavirus pandemic, even more than before, many people want to make their dream of living in Menorca come true and ask me for information about working in Menorca. Possibly the low rate of infection on the island, added to the great beauty of the landscape and, in addition, the local culture, make the island an irresistible target to aim for with your life project.

 

The easy thing would be to paste here some statistics about employment in Menorca and fill in with some interesting photos, but I would like to provide some content of tangible value that serves those who need it, so I’m going to dive in and try to give you the most useful information possible about it.

 

Seasonal or year-round work

From the first moment this differentiating element is vital to understand the labour market in Menorca and to focus the search for employment.

 

Finding a job in summer is really easy unless you are looking for a very specialised job.

 

Getting a year-round job in Menorca is another matter and it is not going to be easy for you unless you have something necessary to offer the community.

 

Tourism related jobs

If you are looking to work in Menorca in the summer, you will find it fairly easy to find a job related to tourism. The hotel industry needs a battalion of employees every season to work in the hotels.

 

The most sought-after vacancies are mainly those that require lower qualifications such as waiters, kitchen assistants, room waiters, bellboys, gardeners, etc.

 

Secondly, employees with average qualifications are also required such as receptionists who speak languages (previously English and German were required, but now knowledge of French is an important plus), entertainers, heads of kitchen, chefs, maintenance technicians, etc.

 

Management positions in tourism companies are usually filled by staff from the universities that teach degrees in tourism (this degree is one of the most widely studied in the Balearics).

 

Other non-tourism related jobs

This is where it really gets complicated. The supply of non-tourism jobs is really limited and I would divide it in two.

 

• Civil servant positions in Menorca

 

Most of the people who settle on the island to live all-year-round are civil servants who have moved to Menorca. Every year, there is a need to fill positions related to the security forces, public health and education (national police, port police, Civil Guard, health personnel for the public hospital, vacancies in the airport, teachers, etc.).  Take a look at the public competition places in Menorca.

 

• Other jobs in Menorca

Almost anecdotally, some private companies spread throughout the country look to hire qualified personnel for their small headquarters in Menorca, such as managers, engineers, bank staff, mechanics of any type, etc. But I insist, it is very rare and the normal thing is that if we need a very specialised professional, for example to fix my vintage record player, someone from Mallorca or Barcelona comes to do this work.

 

Self-employment

I’m increasingly fond of this option and I think that each of us should invent our own job based on our talent. Being our own boss and selling our services directly to clients is an ideal option, which cannot only provide a better income but can also lead to greater personal satisfaction.

 

However, in Spain there is a significant cultural bias against this method. For generations, our young people have been instilled with the conservative idea that the safest and most desirable employment option is to obtain a permanent position as a civil servant.

 

But despite cultural misgivings, self-employment is a growing trend that is leaving its seed on the island.

 

In recent years some initiatives have been flourishing in Menorca by young entrepreneurs who are creating successful small businesses such as Flame, which is more than just a fashion brand founded by two young Menorcans who aspire to change the world with their creations and who have been able to escape the tyranny of tourism.

 

In my experience the ideal sectors to work on our own in Menorca are

 

Computer programmer specialising in the Web and SEO

 

Expert in home automation

 

Medical specialists in private practice

 

Other technology related specialties

 

Teleworking

It would be incomplete to have written this article without mentioning a remarkable trend that is taking hold and which greatly magnifies the possibilities of working in Menorca: teleworking.

More and more well-trained professionals are teleworking from anywhere with a good internet connection. And in Menorca, of course, it is also being perceived as the norm.

Every day I meet more people, both Spanish and foreigners, who have come to live on the island and work remotely from here linked to anywhere in the world.

Without a doubt, for many, working in an office contemplating the countryside or the sea is a dream come true.

 

Where to find work in Menorca

Today, as has become commonplace, the most efficient way to find a job is to use specialised portals such as Infojobs, the local public employment office SOIB or private placement agencies.

Sending or delivering your CV directly to hotels and tourism-related companies can also be an effective way to find employment in Menorca, as these local companies, even the smallest and medium-sized companies, are continually looking for new staff, as there is a significant job rotation on the island every year.

Don’t forget and don’t underestimate the social networks, more and more, many companies like mine are publishing their vacancies on this nifty communication platform.

 

Final conclusions about working in Menorca

Menorca is a small paradise with a fixed population of around only 90,000 inhabitants, but in summer it is visited by more than two million tourists. This means that of the 6 months that the tourist season lasts, economic activity is practically concentrated in just 4 months in which there is a peak of work (July and August) that overwhelms the small local businesses, but which dissipates quickly at the beginning of September.

This explains why a cascade of tourism-related temporary employment demand is generated and why so few permanent jobs are maintained throughout the year.

And precisely this year, due to Covid-19, with the hotels still closed in almost mid-June and with many uncertainties about the coming months, a controversy has arisen on the island about the excessive dependence on tourism which, at the very least, forces us to reflect on the need to diversify the island’s industry.

Undoubtedly, as I have already mentioned, teleworking is a new door that opens up a wide range of possibilities for living and working in Menorca.

 

If you have any questions or think I have left out any related topic, please leave comments here and share with everyone.

 

In case you have already decided to live here we want to be your estate agent in Menorca

You may also be interested in my article about working in Menorca in which I explain how to find a job on the island.