ITSS 2026 Merit Competition: positions in Labor Inspection and what it entails

Key data

The Labor Inspection and Social Security renews part of its internal structure. The Under-Secretariat published on April 16, 2026 the Resolution of April 8, 2026 (BOE-A-2026-8388), which calls a specific merit competition for the provision of certain work positions in the State Body Labor Inspection and Social Security.

Although the process directly affects civil servants, it has a relevant reading for companies and managers: changes in the coverage of positions in the ITSS influence the capacity and territorial distribution of the body responsible for monitoring compliance with labor and social security regulations.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution calls a specific merit competition to fill work positions within the State Body Labor Inspection and Social Security. This type of position provision process involves the assessment of two types of merits:

• General merits: common to any position provision process in the General State Administration.
• Specific merits: linked to the specific profile of each advertised position, which allows selecting the most suitable candidate for each vacancy.

The competition is aimed at civil servants who wish to change their workplace or advance within the organization. It is not a public employment call open to external candidates.

Interested parties must submit their application within the deadlines and forms established by the call published in the BOE. The full text of the resolution includes the requirements, assessment criteria and participation procedure.

Economic and operational impact

For companies and managers, the impact of this resolution is not direct in terms of immediate costs. However, it has relevant operational implications in the medium term:

• Changes in inspection structure: the coverage of vacant positions in the ITSS can modify the territorial distribution of inspectors and sub-inspectors, affecting the frequency and intensity of actions in certain areas or sectors.
• Strengthening supervisory capacity: filling vacant positions in the body potentially implies greater capacity to act in matters of labor compliance control, occupational risk prevention and social security.
• Signal of institutional activity: the call for this competition reflects a commitment to consolidate the ITSS workforce, which can translate into greater inspection presence in the coming months.

No data has been published on the exact number of positions called or on the specific levels or destinations in the available information from this resolution.

Who does it affect?

This resolution has two types of affected parties with different implications:

Direct affected parties (position provision process):

• Civil servants of the State Body Labor Inspection and Social Security who wish to change their workplace.
• Civil servants who wish to advance within the ITSS through merit assessment.

Indirect affected parties (inspection activity):

• Companies with workers in Spain subject to labor and social security regulations.
• Self-employed workers with employees.
• Human Resources departments and operations directors in any sector.
• Labor advisors and management firms that manage labor relations for their clients.
• CFOs and financial directors responsible for compliance in matters of contributions and social security.

Practical example

A Labor Inspector currently assigned to a province with high workload can submit his candidacy for a position called in another autonomous community or in central services, providing his general merits (seniority, training, courses) and the specific merits required by the position profile.

If the competition covers positions in provinces with high industrial or construction concentration—sectors with greater inspection activity—companies in those areas can anticipate an increase in ITSS capacity to act in the coming months. For an HR director of a company with 50 employees in a sector with high occupational accident rates, this type of institutional movement is a signal to review the state of compliance in occupational risk prevention and contributions.

What should companies do now?

1. If you are a civil servant at the ITSS: consult the full text of the Resolution BOE-A-2026-8388 to learn about the positions called, participation requirements, assessment criteria and application submission deadlines.
2. If you are a company or labor advisor: take this opportunity to review the state of compliance in labor and social security matters. Greater coverage of positions in the ITSS can translate into more inspection actions in the coming months.
3. Review labor documentation: contracts, working time records, Social Security contributions, occupational risk prevention plans and equality measures. These are the usual inspection focus areas.
4. Keep social security records updated: registrations, cancellations and data changes for workers must be current to avoid penalties in case of inspection.
5. Consult your labor advisor if you have doubts about your company's level of compliance in the event of a Labor Inspection action.