Socio-economic and labour report of the veterinary sector in Spain, Edition 2023, elaborated by our professors Dr. Óscar Gutiérrez Aragón and Dr. Ariadna Gassiot Melian
On 27 November 2023, the Spanish Veterinary Business Confederation (CEVE), has made public the Socioeconomic and Labour Report of the veterinary sector in Spain, Edition 2023, academic research prepared by Dr. Óscar Gutiérrez Aragón, director and professor of the Department of Business of the Escola Universitaria Mediterrani and by Dr. Ariadna Gassiot Melian, professor until last year of the Statistics Department of the same department. The report highlights the progressive and sometimes intense recovery that has been taking place since 2015 in a large number of economic and financial indicators of the veterinary sector, although some of the indicators relating to the quality of employment, which suffered serious losses during the previous crisis and after the rise in veterinary VAT, have not yet reached the recovery that would be desirable.
On the other hand, it is noted that the results of the socio-economic indicators for the first two years in which the collective agreement has been in force in the sector, 2020 and 2021, are encouraging, as the average wage in the sector has increased by 15.73% with respect to 2019 without affecting total employment in the sector. The signing of the second of the collective agreements for veterinary centres and services in 2023 should serve to strengthen progress towards more dignified working conditions for people working in the sector. The wage increases of 4.5%, 3.5% and 3% agreed for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively, as well as other improvements in working conditions related to staff supervision, paid leave and leave of absence, availability outside working hours in case of emergency or a new organisation of the professional career, must allow progress to be made towards a scenario conducive to optimising the qualitative aspects of veterinary employment, so that it is possible to achieve a more complete and consistent social and economic development of the sector for its workers.
