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Good news for job hunters in the Region of Murcia. BBVA Research forecasts up to 28,000 new positions over the next two years, thanks to an economy still growing faster than the national average.

 

The findings come from the Region of Murcia Outlook 2026, presented on Tuesday in Murcia by Miguel Cardoso, chief economist at BBVA Research. He believes the region’s solid growth will continue, even if things slow slightly compared to last year. “Murcia remains one of the fastest-growing parts of Spain,” Cardoso said, predicting a 2.5% rise in GDP this year and another 1.8% in 2027.

 

If those forecasts hold, the region’s GDP would sit about 15% above 2019 levels by 2027, with inflation close to 2% - below the Spanish average. The report points to strong investment, construction, European funds, defence spending, and rising wages as the main drivers behind this momentum. Falling interest rates are also helping to sustain demand.

 

Most of the new jobs are expected to be in construction, driven by growing demand for affordable housing. “Employment growth is becoming more balanced across the region, not just in Murcia city or Cartagena,” Cardoso said. Areas such as Lorca and other rural parts of the region are also seeing stronger job creation, while the unemployment rate could dip to an average of 11.8% by 2027.

 

Even so, several long-term issues could make growth harder to maintain. The region continues to face a housing shortage, with only 12,800 new homes built since 2021 to meet demand from more than 47,000 new households. If the pace doesn’t pick up, BBVA warns the housing deficit could reach 40% by 2027.

 

Tourism is another area losing a little steam. Foreign visitor spending, which jumped 21% in 2025, has so far grown by only around 5% this year. Still, the sector is becoming more stable thanks to less seasonal visitor flows, which have boosted productivity in trade and hospitality by around 10% since 2019.

 

Cardoso also cautioned that factors like lower immigration, international trade uncertainties and the slow transition in energy production could weigh on future growth. He added that Murcia’s current regional funding system remains “insufficient to cover essential public services”, calling for reforms to ensure the region gets the resources it needs to sustain progress.

 

 

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