Why work in Marbella? Reasons and interesting facts

Marbella offers excellent work and business opportunities. Discover why it’s great to work in Marbella and where to invest on the Costa del Sol.

Marbella is a thriving international town, which is not only a summer holiday destination, but a great place to live and work all year round. There’s a very active, diverse business community, alongside the traditional sectors of hospitality and real estate. The sun, sea and laid-back attitude makes the perfect backdrop to achieve the ideal work-life balance.

There are an astounding 153 nationalities calling Marbella home, and working in local businesses, setting up their own ventures, or being a digital nomad. Why don’t you join them?

If you’ve dreamt of working in Marbella, we hope this article will inspire you to make that dream a reality in 2025.

Why work in Marbella?

Marbella offers a whole host of opportunities for work, alongside a wonderful lifestyle.

It is a large district, not simply a town, which covers an area of 117 square kilometers, between Cabopino and San Pedro. According to Andalucia’s statistics department, there are over 150,000 registered residents in this area and 12.7% of those residents are international. It offers a great selection of public and private schools, libraries, health centers, shops, bars, restaurants and leisure activities. All of which offer opportunities for work, whether it’s to set up your own business, or to find work within an established company.

But of course, it’s not only the residents who are potential customers for businesses in Marbella. The influx of tourists, particularly during the peak period, offers an incredible opportunity for income. There were a whopping 10.8 million international arrivals to Andalucia between January and September 2024 and many of those flock to Marbella and the Costa del Sol, ready to shop, dine and enjoy their holiday to the full according to the report International Tourism Statistics for Andalucia of Andalucia.com.

Many of the international residents living in Marbella, have opened up their own business, to serve the expat population and tourists in their own language. You’ll find real estate agents, financial advisors, insurance companies, plumbers, electricians and builders, to name a few, all working for themselves and marketing to the international residents and tourists coming from their home country. Having a niche with the English, Swedish, German or Dutch community, really helps to stand out from the crowd.

Others have found jobs within these international businesses, so that speaking Spanish is not a problem. Those with language skills, have a lot of opportunities within Spanish businesses too, who know they must have staff who can speak at least English, and ideally other languages too.

Since the introduction of the digital nomad visa, a new influx of people have arrived to work in Marbella, without having to worry about finding a job, or setting up a business. They already have a remote job in another country and can now work from Marbella and enjoy all the benefits of the wonderful climate, lifestyle and lower cost of living, while continuing with their job. This is a great new way of life which offers a world of possibilities!

What brings all of these international people of working age together, is their sense of adventure and search for a better life in the sunshine. They are willing to navigate the language barrier and cultural differences to have a lifestyle that they could never even dream of at home. And we’d agree – it’s worth every challenge you face.

Work in Marbella: Interesting facts

There are lots of strong sectors in Marbella and the Malaga province as a whole, so don’t think that it’s just tourism!

According to Malaga Open for Business, “the most dynamic sectors are Tourism, Construction, Agriculture, Technology Services and Logistics”. There’s been a lot of growth in the technology sector in the last decade.

Many international companies are being attracted by the low cost of living, position in Europe, travel connections and lifestyle. In just five years, 90 international companies chose the province for expansion, creating 7,000 new jobs, and this is boosting the employment figures, and pushing up salaries too. They explain that, “the average salary in Malaga has grown by 25% in the past ten years. According to the latest data from the Spanish Tax Agency, in 2022 the annual average salary in Malaga was €19,443”.

In Marbella, you’ll find jobs and opportunities within the real estate industries, alongside tourism, construction, retail and the service sector. Recently, there’s been a growth in the tech sector, with online gaming companies choosing Marbella as a base. The retail sector is growing fast as well, with 29% of employees in the Malaga province working in retail. Exports of food products, particularly olive oil, and the aerospace sector is growing and is a very important source of jobs and opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs.

If you are good at selling, there are lots of jobs on offer in the real estate sector, with many businesses finding it very hard to get the right team members.

If you speak several languages, then you will be able to access lots of jobs in hotels, bars and restaurants, particularly in the peak season. Again, we’re hearing reports of restaurants in particular struggling to employ reliable staff members and so there’s a lot of opportunity for work and career progression.

Where to invest on the Costa del Sol?

Malaga is in the top three provinces for investment in Spain!

There are many investment opportunities on the Costa del Sol. Many of these are in real estate. For example, Malaga City has a selection of investment catalogues for real estate investment opportunities for office buildings, residential developments, logistics centers, public facilities and hotels.

Many individuals and businesses have invested in residential real estate for holiday rentals and although this sector is facing some challenging new legislations, the long-term rental sector is booming, with lack of supply and high demand pushing prices up.

Franchises are also a popular investment, bringing international business models, with strong brands and marketing to the area, in a wide range of sectors.

The Malaga province understands the importance of foreign investments and startups, and Spain offers various tax incentives for foreign investors and support for international investors.

Best business opportunities in Marbella

There are many existing businesses for sale in Marbella, which allows entrepreneurs to take over an established brand, and take advantage of an existing client base, as well as facilities and equipment. This can be a quick way to get started and begin generating income fast.

Another sector which is really booming is the real estate industry. The property market in Marbella is really hot, and there’s interest from many international buyers, from a wide range of countries. Marbella is a safe place, with a strong economy and a great climate and way of life and that’s appealing for so many, especially in turbulent times. The lack of reliance on any one nationality, protects Marbella from economic or political changes abroad. Add to this, the lack of supply of quality properties, and this is pushing prices up and offering real estate agents excellent opportunities for generating income.

What appeals to many about the real estate sector, is that the costs of entry are quite low, and the potential commissions are high. There are many jobs in existing companies available, and while many are commission-only roles, if you’re a good sales person the rewards can be fantastic.

The tourism industry is obviously an excellent sector for Marbella, and the town hall has been working hard to extend the peak season, by appealing to different segments of the market. Golfers are excellent off peak tourists, with high spending power, and the area is growing in strength as a health tourism destination too, for procedures such as dentistry, plastic surgery and hair transplants.

Opportunities in the tourist sector extend beyond simply accommodation. The trend for experience-based travel is opening up more opportunities for companies offering tours, classes, wellness, health and gastronomy experiences. Service professionals such as concierge, transfers, chefs, beauticians, hairdressers, personal trainers, cleaners and maintenance professionals and more, all serve the tourist industry, so there are lots of opportunities in this field to start your own business.

Technology and digital marketing are also growth areas, with business opportunities in the online gaming and tech industries in Marbella.

Restaurants, hotels and bars are also always in high demand, particularly in the peak season. Off peak is also growing in strength, offering more business opportunities year-round. Opening a restaurant offering an unusual cuisine, or catering to a particular segment of the international resident population and giving them a taste of home is a good business opportunity. But you need to have something which makes you stand out from the crowd, or be in an excellent location, as competition is high.

Telework from Marbella

Working remotely for an international company while living in Marbella offers excellent opportunities. It enables people to work in their chosen field, earn an international salary, while enjoying the lower cost of living and incredible way of life that Marbella offers.

One way of doing this is to take a workation in Marbella, an extended period away from the office, in this stunning place, working remotely. We’re seeing a growth in this trend from companies and their employees wanting to avoid burnout, retain staff and boost their productivity.

There are dedicated visas for teleworkers. As the Foreign Ministry explains, these “allow nationals of third countries who travel to Spain to carry out a remote work or professional activity for companies located outside the national territory, through the exclusive use of computer, telematics and telecommunication media and systems.” This is also known as the digital nomad visa. 

Jobs that are suitable for telework can really be anything where you don’t need to be face to face with a customer, for example –

  • Social Media Manager
  • Call Center Representative
  • Data Entry Clerk
  • Customer Service Associate
  • Content Writer

We believe that Marbella is a wonderful place to live and work, for short and long term and a fantastic place to bring up a family. As you can see, there are plenty of business opportunities and jobs available and visas which allow you to work here legally, so we’d encourage you to take the plunge and join us in Marbella!

If you’re thinking about working in Marbella, we have a great selection of luxury rentals for digital nomads as well as long term rentals in Marbella.

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