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New rules mean your work contract has to tell you a lot more from next month
Royal Decree 723/2026 comes into force on October 5 and expands what employers must put in writing
If you're employed in Spain, changes are coming to what your employer legally has to tell you about your job. Royal Decree 723/2026 was published in the Official State Gazette on September 15 and comes into effect twenty days later, on October 5. It replaces the old rules under Royal Decree 1659/1998 and brings Spain into line with an EU directive on transparent and predictable working conditions.Who does it affect?
The rules apply to companies and workers covered by the Workers' Statute, though the section on general contract information only kicks in for employment relationships lasting longer than four weeks. There are also separate chapters for fishermen, seafarers and certain public employees.
What has to be included now
The basic idea is simple enough: workers should have the key details of their job in writing. That means the usual things like identity of both parties, start date, and job title, but also more specific information such as the company's registered address, your actual workplace if it's different, and a clear job description.
Pay gets particular attention. Employers will need to break down the base salary and each supplement separately, along with how often and how you're paid. If any part of your pay is variable, they'll have to explain how it's worked out and what you need to do to qualify for it.
Working hours are covered in similar detail, including whether the role involves night or shift work, how overtime is compensated, and how holidays are scheduled. Anyone on an irregular working pattern should also be told how shifts are decided and how much notice they'll get before a shift starts or is cancelled.
The regulation also requires that, for workers with disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning, this information must be made accessible and easy to understand.
A new addition: algorithms in the workplace
One genuinely new element is the requirement to disclose when automated or algorithmic systems are used to make decisions about things like your schedule, task assignment, pay, promotion or even dismissal. If a computer system has a say in how your job is run, you're now entitled to know the criteria it uses.
Employers also need to flag any equality plans, work life balance policies, and harassment protocols that apply, along with details on how the contract can be ended, including notice periods.
What if your contract changes, or you're already employed?
Nobody needs to rewrite existing contracts overnight. If you're already working somewhere, you can request the new information and your employer has 30 working days to provide it, so long as you don't already have it. Any changes made after October 5, however, must be communicated on the same day they take effect, or as close to it as possible.
The Ministry of Labour is expected to publish an official template for this information, but until it does, employers still have to comply using whatever suitable format they have available.
Image: AI generated
