Crisis in teaching oppositions: deserted specialties and drop in candidates to minimums

PalmaIn the 2026 teaching oppositions, the second lowest ratio of applicants per position has been recorded since 2017, with 2.10 applicants for each of the 630 positions called for by the Ministry of Education. In 2025, it had registered 2.03, while in 2017 the figure rose to 4.54, according to data provided by the STEI. 2025 represents a clear turning point in the evolution of the global ratio in the Balearic Islands. After years of relative stability (2017–2024), with values between 3.65 and 4.79, the indicator plummets to 2.03, a drop of almost 50% in just one year. In 2026, the slight recovery to 2.10 confirms a structural change in trend rather than a one-off fluctuation. However, many specialities remain vacant because no applicants presented themselves.

By islands, the trend is generalized, although with different intensities. In Mallorca, the ratio goes from 4.11 in 2024 to 2.44 in 2025 and 2.47 in 2026; which consolidates 2025 as the clear turning point year. In Menorca, the drop is even more pronounced: from 4.46 in 2024 to 2.78 in 2025 and 2.03 in 2026. The Pitiuses show the lowest values. In Ibiza, the ratio falls from 3.18 (2024, data aggregated with Formentera) to 1.31 in 2025 and 1.46 in 2026. Finally, Formentera presents the most extreme case: in 2026 it registers a ratio of 0.67. That is, there are fewer applicants than available places.

Secondary

In Mallorca, there are numerous Secondary school body specialties that are below the average ratio of applicants per position in the competition (2.47). This is the case for Latin (1.17); Castilian Language (2.11); Mathematics (0.62); Physics and Chemistry (2.08); Catalan Language (2.44); Business Administration (2.2); Training and Labor Orientation (1.46); Informatics (1.18); Organization and Commercial Management (2); Graphic Arts Processes and Products (1); Thermal and Fluid Equipment Installations and Maintenance (0.5); Electrical Installations (0.56); Food Product Processing Operations and Equipment (1.5); Agricultural Production Operations and Equipment (1); Clinical and Orthopedic Diagnostic Procedures (1); Health and Assistance Procedures (1.08); Commercial Processes (2); Administrative Management Processes (1.77); Computer Systems and Applications (0.43), and Electronic Equipment (0.33). The extreme case is that of Chemical and Industrial Analysis: one position has been called, but there are no interested parties.

The situation in Menorca is no better. There are four specialties with no applicants: Informatics; Agricultural Production Processes; Electronic Installations; Agricultural Production Operations and Equipment. Above, but with very low ratios, are Mathematics (0.5 applicants per position); Business Administration (0.67); Thermal and Fluid Equipment Installations and Maintenance (1); Computer Systems and Applications (1); Administrative Management Processes (1.5); Philosophy (1.5), and Physics and Chemistry (1.5).

In the Pitiüses islands is where the crisis in the teaching profession is most evident, accentuated this time by housing and the impossibility of finding somewhere to live. Traditionally, the Islands have been supplied with professionals from Mallorca or other Catalan-speaking territories, but the shortage of staff is growing. It is also the area where, proportionally, the most places have been offered in competitive examinations. However, in many specialities, the number of applicants has been low or non-existent.

In Latin, Informatics, Business Organization and Management, and Commercial Processes, no candidates applied. The most acute cases are Mathematics (11 places and 3 applicants; 0.27) and Catalan Language (10 places and 3 applicants; 0.3). Above these are Educational Guidance (9 places and 5 applicants; 0.56); Physics and Chemistry (6 places and 4 applicants; 0.67); Spanish Language (13 places and 11 applicants; 0.85); English (10 places and 9 applicants; 0.90), and Philosophy (5 places and 6 applicants; 1.20).

In Formentera, the situation is even more serious. No one applied for Spanish; English; Educational Guidance; Business Administration. In Mathematics, there is one applicant for two places; in Drawing, one applicant for one place; the same applies to Community Services (1 and 1) and Administrative Management Processes (2 and 2).

Teachers and Vocational Training Corps

Regarding the teaching staff, there are also specialties with significant imbalances. In Ibiza, English stands out, with 7 positions and 9 applicants (1.29). Also on the same island, Therapeutic Pedagogy (PT) has 17 positions and 34 applicants (2). The teaching specialty with the lowest figures in the Balearic Islands is Hearing and Language (AL), also in Ibiza: 10 positions and 8 applicants (0.80). In both the case of PT and AL, these are profiles that schools increasingly need to attend to the great diversity of student needs and difficultiesa.

Vocational Training (FP) is not immune to the teaching crisis. In Ibiza, no candidates have applied to fill the two positions for Vehicle Maintenance. The same applies to the two positions for Cuisine and Pastry in Formentera. For Restaurant Services in Ibiza, there are 7 positions and 2 applicants (0.29). Also in the Pitiusas, there is one applicant for the only position for Restaurant Services in Formentera.

In Mallorca, two positions for Woodworking and Furniture Manufacturing and Installation have been offered, but only one applicant has applied (0.5). Vehicle Maintenance has the biggest impact, with 12 positions and 8 applicants (0.67). Restaurant Services also has 5 positions and 7 applicants (0.67). In Menorca, there are two Vehicle Maintenance positions available for two applicants.

What can be done?

According to STEI, the figures provided reflect a growing disinterest in the profession. “Teaching must be dignified: we need an attractive, well-recognized profession with conditions that motivate new generations to embrace it”, say union sources. Added to this situation is the phenomenon of the “Great Resignation”: more and more teachers are choosing to retire at 60 and not wait until 65. In parallel, among active professionals, exhaustion is growing due to factors such as bureaucracy, high student-to-teacher ratios in classrooms, low social prestige, and insufficient remuneration.

The union points out that the specialities that are currently already difficult to cover with interim positions (Mathematics, Catalan Language and Literature, Castilian Language and Literature, English, Computer Science, and Physics and Chemistry) are also those that have lower ratios in the competitive examinations. “It is a clear diagnosis: we are talking about professionals who, in their fields (computer science, linguistics, engineering, and science), have much better paid job opportunities. Given the working conditions in the Balearic Islands – high cost of living, low real wages, and difficulties in accessing housing – it is logical that many choose to leave teaching or not even consider it,” adds STEI.