If you’re looking for work in Mallorca and need a Spanish work permit, the difference between a cook and a ship’s cook can matter. Spain’s public employment service, SEPE, publishes a quarterly list of occupations that employers have difficulty filling. If the exact role is listed for the area where you’ll work, the employer can use the catalogue to satisfy the labour market requirement for an initial residence and work permit application.

Which jobs are on the list for Mallorca?

The third-quarter 2026 catalogue, published in Spain’s Official State Gazette (BOE) on 2 September, includes these examples relevant to Mallorca.

• Maritime roles include ships’ cooks, marine refrigeration technicians, merchant ship chief engineers, passenger ship attendants and deck crew outside the fishing sector.
• Electrical and installation trades include electrical installers, including those working on buildings and homes, and fabricators and installers of aluminium, metal and PVC fittings.
• Crane operators include operators of truck-mounted, fixed and mobile cranes.
• Sport includes professional athletes and sports coaches.

The exact occupation matters. The entry for a ship’s cook, cocinero de barco, doesn’t cover a restaurant chef. If you’re looking at a yacht job, ask the employer to check whether the duties match a listed occupation and which rules apply to that particular job.

See the full September catalogue and occupation codes in the BOE

How the catalogue affects a work permit application

If you need an initial Spanish residence and work permit as an employee, your prospective employer starts the application. Where the role is listed for the relevant area, the employer can meet the labour market requirement without having to show separately that they struggled to fill that particular vacancy through the Spanish labour market.

You still need a job offer and a signed contract, and both you and the employer must meet the other requirements. These include any qualifications legally required for the job. If you’re applying from abroad, the Ministry’s guide also sets out the visa step that follows approval of the work authorisation.

For jobs outside the catalogue, an employer may still be able to apply by showing the immigration office that it couldn’t fill the vacancy through the Spanish labour market. Other exceptions to the labour market requirement can also apply, depending on your circumstances.

Read the Ministry of Migration’s guide to the initial residence and work permit

Where to look if you want to work in Mallorca

If you’ve seen a job you’re interested in, ask the employer whether they’re able to make the application. Check the catalogue in force when they intend to apply and look for the exact occupation code for the relevant area. If you’re still looking for a job, the Balearic employment service, SOIB, has a separate search for vacancies with private employers.

Check SEPE’s quarterly shortage occupations catalogue · Search vacancies through SOIB

If you’re looking for yacht crew roles, browse Warren Maritime’s superyacht jobs board. If you’re planning a move and want to compare residence routes, see our guide to Spanish visas and residency in Mallorca.

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