1. Background – history, social economy  context

In Spain the state is responsible for the regulation, coordination and control of employment policies, and it is in charge of the management and control of unemployment benefits. Autonomous communities are responsible for the development of active labour market policies in their respective territories. This strategy is implemented through the Annual Employment Policy Plans (PAPE).[1]

The guidelines on active employment policies are set on a multiannual basis in the Spanish Employment Activation Strategy, developed by the national public employment services with the participation of social partners.

The Spanish legal definition of the social economy (Law 5/2011) offers a legal framework for all entities that traditionally belonged to the social economy and also more recent ones – three main types of social enterprises[2]

• Social initiative cooperatives (cooperativa de iniciativa social – CIS) – those cooperatives that being non-profit and independent, mainly engage in either the provision of welfare services in health, educational, cultural or other activities of [a] social nature, or in the development of any economic activity [whose] object is the employment of people suffering from any kind of social exclusión and, in general, satisfy social needs not met by the market” (Cooperative Law Article 106).

In Spain, there are two models of WISEs: [3]

• Employment integration enterprises (empresas de inserción – EIs) targeting socially excluded groups.
• Special employment centres of social initiative (centros especiales de empleo – CEEs) Specifically targeting people with disabilities (sheltered workshops).

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[1] Social and Employment Policies in Spain – In-Depth Analysis – European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs 2017

[2] IPOL | Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies PE 703.349 6 European Parliament

[3] Social enterprises and their ecosystems in Europe | Country report SPAIN

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Both are a qualification awarded by the respective regional goverments to limited liability companies that officially apply to obtain the qualitification, upon verification that the applicant enerprises satisfy specific characteristics that are described below.

In addition there are

• Occupational centres (Centros Ocupacionales);
• Enterprises of the Spanish national organisation for the blind (Organización Nacional de Ciegos de España, or ONCE);
• Social integration enterprises for people at risk of social exclusion.

In addition, the law includes some associations and foundations with economic activities.

CEPES (the Spanish Social Economy Employers’ Confederation) includes a range of other institutions in the social economy arena: cooperatives (in general), labour societies (employee-owned enterprises), mutual aid societies and fishermen guilds (Pfeilstetter and Gómez-Carazco, 2016).

Emerging social enterprises, for example cooperatives others than the recognised social initiative cooperatives (CIS) are expanding the borders of the social economy sector in Spain.

Social Initiative Cooperatives CIS	Employment Integration Enterprises EIs	Special Employment Centre for social Initiative CEE
647	201	576

Typology of WISE*	N. of WISEs*	Typology & N. of disadvantaged workers employed	Data source*
Social Initiative Cooperatives	850		Autonomous and provincial registries of cooperatives
Special employment centres (CEEs)	2,202	People with disabilities 97,653	BOCG, Gazete of the Spanish Parliament (2020). Government’s written reply to question addressed to the Spanish Parliament
Employment integration enterprises	185	Unemployed people at risk of social exclusion, with special difficulties in accessing the labour market. 4,228	Ministry of Employment and Social Security. General Directorate of Autonomous Work, Social Economy and CSR.