What does the study mean for residents and visitors in Tenerife?
Visitors to the south of Tenerife need do nothing, because the report sets no rule for hotels and no requirement for travellers. It speaks to companies that hire staff.
Residents get no new deadline and no form either. The groups name no sum in euros, no application procedure and no start date.
Trans people who work or look for work in the Canary Islands will find no Canary figures in the report. Whether the 62% holds on the islands too is unclear from the material we have.
What does the report “Talento trans en el empleo” say?
Half of trans people suffered verbal or physical abuse at work, the report says. Just over two in three (67.7%) feel prejudice has slowed their careers.
Fixed-term contracts show a gap: 64% among trans people against 9.9% across the Spanish population. The report calls that six times the rate.
The Federación Estatal LGTBI+ (FELGTBI+) is a Spanish umbrella body with more than 55 member organisations. Together with ManpowerGroup it wrote the report, which is described as inédito, meaning published for the first time.
It draws on the federation’s three most recent “Estado LGTBI+” surveys. Working groups and in-depth interviews with trans people, HR specialists and diversity officers add to that.
Why do the law and everyday life diverge?
71% of LGTBI+ people rate the equality laws positively, said FELGTBI+ managing director William Gil D´Avolio. He also spoke of a “clear implementation gap”.
The figures bear that out. Only 40.1% of firms have their own policies for LGTBI+ staff, and 30.2% have a structured plan.
Little of this reaches daily working life, as only 33.76% of staff see the measures actually applied. Marta Alonso of the executive committee called for a move “from commitment to action”.
Which rules apply in Spain and the Canary Islands?
Alonso pointed to the Spanish law Ley 4/2023 and the royal decree RD 1026/2024. According to background research, firms with more than 50 employees must bring in measures for the equal treatment of LGTBI people and a protocol against harassment.
The Canary Islands have a law of their own. Ley 8/2014 of 28 October regulated discrimination on grounds of gender identity, including at work.
Ley 2/2021 of 7 June replaced it, according to our research. We could not check that text, so what it says on work, penalties and the responsible body is unclear.
What does the report recommend to companies?
The report hands firms a practical guide. It gathers experience from organisations that already run inclusion projects.
Among other things, it urges firms to make their commitment to diversity visible and to train HR teams. They should use applicants’ names and pronouns, even when official documents differ.
From the start, firms should explain support protocols, internal allies’ groups and complaint channels. Diverse profiles should also enter leadership programmes and decision-making bodies.
How should the 62% be put in context?
An earlier figure comes close. A report on a 2022 study by Spain’s equality ministry says 68% of 552 trans people surveyed reported discrimination in a selection process.
Among trans women it was 77%. We could not read the ministry study itself, so no trend can be drawn from it.
The methods of the two surveys differ anyway. Whether or when the Canary Islands will launch their own programmes for trans applicants is not known.
Neither the Cabildo (island government) nor the Canary government has given any information on this. The two organisations present the report to companies as a working basis, and when firms will use it remains to be seen.