The Ministry of Labour and Social Economy ( MITES) is the department of the

Government of Spain gl, Goberno de España eu, Espainiako Gobernua , image = , caption = Logo of the Government of Spain , headerstyle = background-color: #efefef , label1 = Role , data1 = Executive power , label2 = Established , da ...

responsible for planning and carrying out the government policy on labour relations and

social economy The social economy is formed by a rich diversity of enterprises and organisations, such as cooperatives, mutuals, associations, foundations, social enterprises and paritarian institutions, sharing common values and features: * Primacy of the ...

. The MITES is headed by the Minister of Labour, a Cabinet member who is appointed by the

Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...

at request of the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is n ...

. The Labour Minister is assisted by five high-ranking officials, the Secretary of State for Migration, the Secretary of State for Social Security, the Secretary of State for Employment, the Secretary General for Immigration and Emigration and the Under Secretary of Labour. The current minister is Yolanda Díaz.

History

The idea of creating a Ministry of Labour was manifested by the King

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alfo ...

in the opening of the

Cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca (; ; 14 ...

of 1914 but the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

delayed that purpose. The Ministry of Labour was finally created in the government of Eduardo Dato on May 8, 1920. It had previously existed Institute of Social Reforms (1903, heir of the Social Reform Commission, 1883) and the National Institute of Foresight (1908), which were integrated into the new Department. It also obtained the powers of the newly disappeared Ministry of Supply (1918-1920). It was also included in the structure of the ministry the Bureau of Labour of the Directorate General of Trade, Industry and Labour, the Emigration Council and the Board of Engineers and Pensioners Abroad. The functions of the Labour Inspectorate (1906) were also given to the new ministry. In the Second Republic, the Minister Francisco Largo Caballero was issued the Decree about Workers Associations, through which these entities passed to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labour from the Governation Ministry. In

Francoist Spain Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spa ...

the suppression of freedom of association, demonstration and strike as well as collective bargaining, the Ministry, without prejudice to the work of the Vertical Union, expanded its capacity for action, establishing up to the detail of working conditions. After the

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, Social Security competences passed in 1977 to the newly created Ministry of Health, although Labour Ministry recovered them in 1981. In 1978 the National Employment Institute was created. Later, the creation in 1988 of the Ministry of Social Affairs meant the loss of social policies. Nevertheless, both Departments merged in 1996, after the electoral victory of the Popular Party, assigning itself for the first time the organisms Institute of the Woman and Institute of the Youth. In 2004, with

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (; born 4 August 1960) is a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was the Prime Minister of Spain being elected for two terms, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. ...

as President of the Government, the Ministry of Labour assumes the immigration powers that until now resided in the Ministry of the Interior. In terms of social policies, in 2008 they were distributed between the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

and the newly created Ministry of Equality (Now ministry of Health and Ministry of Equality have been merged). In the X Legislature, from December 22, 2011, the Ministry is renamed ''Employment and Social Security'', while retaining the same competencies. In the middle of the 12th Cortes Generales, the biggest opposition party, the

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a Social democracy, social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * List of political parties in Spai ...

, presented and won a

vote of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

against the second government of Mariano Rajoy. After this event, Sánchez appointed Magdalena Valerio as the new Labour Minister, and he renamed the Department as Ministry of Labour, Migrations and Social Security. In 2020, the new Cabinet of Sánchez integrated a new political party,

Unidas Podemos Unidas Podemos (), formerly called Unidos Podemos () and also known in English as United We Can, is a democratic socialist electoral alliance formed by Podemos, United Left, and other left-wing to far-left parties in May to contest the 2016 Sp ...

, and the Prime Minister appointed Yolanda Díaz as new minister of Labour and Social Economy. The Department lost its responsibility for social security and migration, which meant a reduction of its budget from €52 billion in 2019 to €25 billion in 2020, as well as losing control of more than 150 billion euros of the

social security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

budget.

Structure

This ministry is structured in the following higher bodies: * The Secretariat of State for Employment and Social Economy ** The Directorate-General for Labour ** The Directorate General for Self-Employment, the Social Economy and Corporate Social Responsibility **The Administrative Unit of the European Social Fund **The Deputy Directorate-General for Programming and Evaluation of the European Social Fund * The Undersecretariat of the Ministry ** The Technical General Secretariat **The Budget Office **The Administrative Office **The Inspectorate-General of Services **The Deputy Directorate-General for Human Resources **The Deputy Directorate-General for the Regulation and Development of Human Resources of the Agencies and Social Security **The Deputy Directorate-General for Information and Communications Technologies **The Deputy Directorate-General for Financial Administration

Ministry agencies

* Economic and Social Council * National System for Employment * Labour and Social Security Inspectorate * National Institute for Safety and Health at Work

List of Ministers of Labour

Reign of
Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alfo ...
(1902-1923)

Dictatorship of
Miguel Primo de Rivera Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquess of Estella (8 January 1870 – 16 March 1930), was a dictator, aristocrat, and military officer who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 1923 to 1930 during Spain's Restoration era. He deepl ...
(1923-1931)

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII, and was di ...
(1931-1939)

Dictatorship of
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 193 ...
(1936-1975)

Reign of Juan Carlos I (1975-2014)

Reign of
Felipe VI Felipe VI (;, * eu, Felipe VI.a, * ca, Felip VI, * gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and ...
(2014-present)

(1) Ministry of Labour and Social Protection
(2) Ministry of Labour, Heath and Social Protection
(3) Ministry of Labour, Health and Justice
(4) Ministry of Labour and Protection
(5) Ministry of Labour and Social Attendance
(6) Ministry of Labour
(7) Ministry of Agriculture and Labour
(8) Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Security
(9) Ministry of Employment and Social Security
(10) Ministry of Labour Social Affairs
(11) Ministry of Labour and Immigration
(12) Ministry of Labour, Commerce and Industry
(13) Ministry of Trade Union Action and Organization
(14) Ministry of Labour, Migrations and Social Security
(15) Ministry of Labour and Social Economy

Notes and references

Spanish Cabinets at CSIC website

External links

Portal Oficial

"Dirección General of Ciudadanía Exterior" official website

Portal de los jóvenes españoles en el exterior: CEXT
{{Authority control Labour And Immigration

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Spain, Employment and Social Security 1920 establishments in Spain

Employment Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any ot ...