diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-numba/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-numba/package.py
index 06873a845b..e5e7bf1e63 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-numba/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-numba/package.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ class PyNumba(PythonPackage):
     depends_on('python@3.3:3.7.9999', type=('build', 'run'), when='@0.40.1:')
     depends_on('python@3.3:3.6.9999', type=('build', 'run'), when='@:0.35.0')
     depends_on('py-numpy@1.10:1.99', type=('build', 'run'))
+    depends_on('py-setuptools', type='build')
 
     # Note: As of 1 Nov 2018, 0.25 was the latest version of py-llvmlite.
     # That's why it was chosen as an upper bound in the following depends_on