| Agency Name: | Ministry of Labour and Social Economy |
| Nativename A: | Spanish; Castilian: Ministerio de Trabajo y Economía Social |
| Picture Width: | 250px |
| Picture Caption: | Main door of the Ministry in the Nuevos Ministerios complex |
| Formed: | (as Ministry of Labour) January 13, 2020 (as Ministry of Labour and Social Economy) |
| Jurisdiction: | Spanish government |
| Headquarters: | Nuevos Ministerios, Agustín de Bethencourt Street 4, (Madrid) |
| Region Code: | ES |
| Employees: | 38,559 (2019)[1] [2] |
| Budget: | € 29.5 billion, 2023[3] |
| Minister1 Name: | Yolanda Díaz |
| Minister1 Pfo: | Minister |
| Agency Type: | Ministry |
| Website: | www.mites.gob.es |
The Ministry of Labour and Social Economy (MITES) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for planning and carrying out the government policy on labour relations and social economy.[4]
The MITES is headed by the Minister of Labour, a Cabinet member who is appointed by the Monarch at request of the Prime Minister. 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.
The idea of creating a Ministry of Labour was manifested by the King Alfonso XIII in the opening of the Cortes of 1914 but the World War I delayed that purpose.[5] The Ministry of Labour was finally created in the government of Eduardo Dato on May 8, 1920.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
In Francoist Spain 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 Spanish transition to democracy, 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 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 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, presented and won a vote of no confidence 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, and the Prime Minister appointed Yolanda Díaz as new minister of Labour and Social Economy. The Department lost its responsibilities over social security and migration to the newly created Department of Social Security, 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 budget.
This ministry is structured in the following higher bodies:[9]
| Beginning | End | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May 1920 | 13 March 1921 | Carlos Cañal y Migolla (6) | |||
| 13 March 1921 | 14 August 1921 | Eduardo Sanz y Escartín (6) | |||
| 14 August 1921 | 8 March 1922 | Leopoldo Matos y Massieu (6) | |||
| 8 March 1922 | 7 December 1922 | Abilio Calderón Rojo (12) | |||
| 7 December 1922 | 3 September 1923 | Joaquín Chapaprieta Torregrosa (12) | |||
| 3 September 1923 | 15 September 1923 | Luis Armiñán Pérez (12) | |||
| Beginning | End | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 September 1923 | 21 December 1923 | Alejandro García Martín (12) | |||
| 21 December 1923 | 7 February 1924 | Juan Flórez Posada (12) | |||
| 7 February 1924 | 3 November 1928 | Eduardo Aunós Pérez (12) | |||
| 3 November 1928 | 30 January 1930 | Eduardo Aunós Pérez (4) | |||
| 30 January 1930 | 18 February 1931 | Pedro Sangro y Ros de Olano (4) | |||
| 18 February 1931 | 14 April 1931 | Gabriel Maura y Gamazo (4) | |||
| Beginning | End | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 April 1931 | 12 September 1933 | Francisco Largo Caballero (1) | PSOE | ||
| 12 September 1933 | 8 October 1933 | Ricardo Samper Ibáñez (1) | PRR | ||
| 8 October 1933 | 16 December 1933 | Carles Pi i Sunyer (1) | ERC | ||
| 16 December 1933 | 28 April 1934 | José Estadella Arnó (1) | PRR | ||
| 28 April 1934 | 4 October 1934 | José Estadella Arnó (2) | PRR | ||
| 4 October 1934 | 3 April 1935 | José Oriol Anguera de Sojo (2) | CEDA | ||
| 3 April 1935 | 6 May 1935 | Eloy Vaquero Cantillo (2) | PRR | ||
| 6 May 1935 | 25 September 1935 | Federico Salmón (2) | CEDA | ||
| 25 September 1935 | 14 December 1935 | Federico Salmón (3) | CEDA | ||
| 14 December 1935 | 30 December 1935 | Alfredo Martínez García (3) | PLD | ||
| 30 December 1935 | 19 February 1936 | Manuel Becerra Fernández (3) | PC | ||
| 19 February 1936 | 13 May 1936 | Enrique Ramos Ramos (2) | IR | ||
| 13 May 1936 | 19 July 1936 | Joan Lluhí Vallescá (2) | ERC | ||
| 19 July 1936 | 19 July 1936 | Bernardo Giner de los Ríos (2) | Republican Union | ||
| 19 July 1936 | 4 September 1936 | Joan Lluhí Vallescá (2) | ERC | ||
| 4 September 1936 | 4 November 1936 | José Tomás Piera (2) | ERC | ||
| 4 November 1936 | 17 May 1937 | Anastasio de Gracia (4) | PSOE | ||
| 17 May 1937 | 1 April 1939 | Jaume Aiguader (5) | ERC | ||
| Beginning | End | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 October 1936 | 30 January 1938 | Alejandro Gallo Artacho (6) | |||
| 30 January 1938 | 9 August 1939 | Pedro González-Bueno y Bocos (13) | |||
| 9 August 1939 | 20 May 1941 | Joaquín Benjumea Burín (7) | |||
| 20 May 1941 | 25 February 1957 | José Antonio Girón de Velasco (6) | |||
| 25 February 1957 | 10 July 1962 | Fermín Sanz-Orrio y Sanz (6) | |||
| 10 July 1962 | 29 October 1969 | Jesús Romeo Gorría (6) | |||
| 29 October 1969 | 11 March 1975 | Licinio de la Fuente (6) | |||
| 11 March 1975 | 12 December 1975 | Fernando Suárez González (6) | |||
| Beginning | End | Name | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 December 1975 | 5 July 1976 | José Solís Ruiz (6) | ||||
| 5 July 1976 | 4 July 1977 | Álvaro Rengifo Calderón (6) | ||||
| 4 July 1977 | 28 February 1978 | Manuel Jiménez de Parga Cabrera (6) | UCD | |||
| 28 February 1978 | 3 May 1980 | Rafael Calvo Ortega (6) | UCD | |||
| 3 May 1980 | 9 September 1980 | Salvador Sánchez Terán Hernández (6) | UCD | |||
| 9 September 1980 | 26 February 1981 | Félix Manuel Pérez Miyares (6) | UCD | |||
| 26 February 1981 | 2 December 1981 | Jesús Sancho Rof (8) | UCD | |||
| 2 December 1981 | 2 December 1982 | Santiago Rodríguez Miranda (9) | UCD | |||
| 3 December 1982 | 25 July 1986 | Joaquín Almunia Amann (9) | PSOE | |||
| 26 July 1986 | 2 May 1990 | Manuel Chaves González (9) | PSOE | |||
| 2 May 1990 | 12 July 1993 | Luis Martínez Noval (9) | PSOE | |||
| 13 July 1993 | 5 May 1996 | José Antonio Griñán Martínez (9) | PSOE | |||
| 6 May 1996 | 20 January 1999 | Javier Arenas Bocanegra (10) | PP | |||
| 20 January 1999 | 21 February 2000 | Manuel Pimentel Siles (10) | PP | |||
| 21 February 2000 | 10 July 2002 | Juan Carlos Aparicio Pérez (10) | PP | |||
| 10 July 2002 | 17 April 2004 | Eduardo Zaplana (10) | PP | |||
| 18 April 2004 | 12 April 2008 | Jesús Caldera Sánchez-Capitán (10) | PSOE | |||
| 12 April 2008 | 20 October 2010 | Celestino Corbacho (11) | PSOE | |||
| 20 October 2010 | 22 December 2011 | Valeriano Gómez (11) | PSOE | |||
| Beginning | End | Name | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 December 2011 | 7 June 2018 | Fátima Báñez (9) | PP | |||
| 7 June 2018 | 13 January 2020 | Magdalena Valerio (14) | PSOE | |||
| 13 January 2020 | Incumbent | Yolanda Díaz (15) | PCE | |||