Basque Government greenlights 2025 public sector recruitment drive with over 4,700 roles across administration and public sector
The Governing Council has today approved the 2025 public sector employment offer comprising 4,749 roles, distributed across the Basque General Administration, its agencies, the Department of Education, the Ertzaintza and security support services, and entities such as Osakidetza (Basque Health Service), EITB (Basque Public Broadcasting Company), and EJIE (Basque Institute of Educational Sciences), among others.
With this agreement, which will be implemented in 2026, the Basque Government moves to deliver on a key priority for this parliamentary term: “to secure quality and stable employment in the Basque public administration that strengthens public services and improves the daily lives of Basque citizens,” explained Government Spokesperson Maria Ubarretxena.
Health Minister announces 5,425 vacancies at Osakidetza
The Health Minister, Alberto Martínez, has announced that Osakidetza plans to open 5,425 vacancies next year as part of the 2023-2024-2025 recruitment rounds. Of these roles, it is estimated that around 800 will be for doctors and 1,500 for nurses and their various specialties, representing more than 40% of the total. This new round of recruitment includes a landmark initiative: a specific examination stream for individuals with intellectual disabilities, with a total of 25 support positions in the categories of Porter and Service Worker.
The Minister explained that “these measures represent a significant step forward in consolidating stable, high-quality public employment at Osakidetza. Strengthening our workforce is not merely a matter of human resources, but a direct investment in the health and well-being of Basque society. With this expansion of the workforce and the new public employment offers, we are advancing in the professionalization, equal opportunities, and sustainability of our public healthcare system.”
€900,000 Funding for Cultural and Creative Industries
The Governing Council also approved funding for companies developing projects with high innovative potential in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) sector of the Basque Country for the period 2026-2027. The allocated investment is €900,000, 28.5% more than the previous funding round, distributed over two years: €450,000 in 2026 and another €450,000 in 2027.
The scheme “is configured as a key tool to respond to the challenges of the triple transition and position the Basque Country as a leading region in innovation within the RIS (Regional Innovation Scoreboard),” explained Ubarretxena.
Direct Purchase of the “Murguía House Archive” Collection
The direct purchase for the “Murguía House Archive” collection has also been approved, for €65,000. This documentary archive comprises 88 bundles of documents spanning from the 15th century to the first half of the 20th century, sometimes referencing earlier events, thus offering a comprehensive view of family history related to the Murguía house and life in the region.
As Minister Ubarretxena explained, the archive “consists mainly of family documents that show the marriage policies of the time, the evolution of family wealth, and important events in our history, from the Gipuzkoa factional wars to the Carlist Wars, including trade with America.”
Partnership Agreement renewed with the Social Security General Treasury
The Governing Council has today greenlit the extension, for a period of four years of the agreement that regulates the exchange of information between the Basque Government and the Social Security General Treasury. This renewal guarantees the continuity of the collaboration initiated in 2022 and strengthens institutional coordination in Labour and Social Security Inspection in the Basque Country.
Basque Language Integration Courses for Migrants
Finally, the Cabinet approved three initiatives proposed by the Department of Welfare, Youth and the Demographic Challenge. Firstly, it greenlit the extension until 2026 of the collaboration agreement between the Basque Government and the Institute for Adult Literacy and Basque Language Revitalisation (HABE), with the aim of funding Basque language integration courses for migrants over 16 years of age residing in the Basque Country.
These courses aim to boost the learning of Basque among migrants, especially those who have had no prior contact with the language, as a key element for their social integration, understanding of their surroundings, and community participation.
Also approved is the award of a grant to the Zehar-Errefuxiatuekin Association to provide urgent and exceptional assistance to all those people, mostly Malians, who have arrived in the Basque Country, primarily in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The funding package is worth €104,500.00.
Government Spokesperson Ubarretxena explained that “since February 2025, there has been a progressive increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving from both the southern border (Canary Islands) and the northern border, including people transferred from France under the Dublin Convention or who have returned without being able to formalise their application.” Since July, approximately 600 people from Mali have arrived in the Basque Country, with more than half of them landing in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
The third item on the agenda is the approval of two funding rounds related to the “Euskadiko Gazteak Lankidetzan” [Basque Youth Cooperation] programme, which promotes awareness and participation of Basque youth in international development cooperation projects in developing nations and fosters a culture of solidarity and intercultural understanding among young people. €100,000 will be ring-fenced for grants for development cooperation organizations to help them incorporate young people into their projects. An additional €300,000 will be earmarked for a funding round for young people born between 1996 and 2004 who meet the programme's eligibility requirements.
