Unemployment, at a minimum: registers the best second quarter in the last 18 years

BarcelonaUnemployment falls sharply in Catalonia during the second quarter of the year. According to the active population survey (EPA) published this Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the Catalan unemployment rate stands at 7.9%, after rising to 10.12% during the first quarter of the year. Thus, the statistic returns to the level of the fourth quarter of 2024, when unemployment hit lows. However, to find a better second quarter, we must go back to 2008. "All the data is good," assured the Secretary of Labor of the Government, Paco Ramos.

Regarding totals, the number of unemployed people in Catalonia stood at 343,000 during the second quarter, 21.26% less than between January and March (a reduction of 92,600). Compared to the same period last year, there are 5,300 fewer unemployed people, which means a decrease of 1.52%.On the other hand, employed people are nearing the 4 million mark –3.99 million– after adding 130,800 people compared to the early months of the year. The strong increase in employment and the sharp drop in Catalan unemployed have led the statistics for the whole of Spain. For this reason, in a statement, the Government has boasted about the data recorded and has assured that Catalonia is the “locomotive” for job creation in the Spanish State.As the data collected by the EPA points out, the country already totals 4.34 million active people in the labor market. The figure means there are 38,200 more employed workers, 0.89% more than in the previous quarter. Compared to the same period in 2025, the increase is 47,800 people, 1.11% more. By gender, of the total employed, 2.11 million correspond to men and 1.87 million to women, while there are 177,900 unemployed men and 165,000 unemployed women in Catalonia.By territories, the area where the unemployment rate falls the most is in the demarcation of Girona, which records an unemployment of 7.71%, about 4.79 points less than between January and March. Then came Tarragona (10.16%, about 2.44 points less), Barcelona (7.68%, about 1.98 points less) and Lleida (6.92%, about 0.38 points less). In this way, Tarragona continues to have the highest indicator. "Quality jobs continue to be generated and we are seeing very high employment figures," assured Ramos at a press conference.

Unemployment, at its lowest since 2008

For the State as a whole, the unemployment rate is once again below the psychological barrier of 10%: specifically, after the figure rose to 10.83% in the first quarter, between April and June it stands at its lowest since 2008, falling to 9.87%. Furthermore, the number of employed people also breaks a new record. During the second quarter of the year, employment grew by 122,000 people and, for the first time, exceeds the threshold of 22.6 million in the seasonally adjusted calculation, which removes seasonal effects to see the real trend of the labor market.By sectors, workers in the services sector have set a new record, with up to 17.25 million employed throughout Spanish territory. In the construction and industry sectors, new jobs have also continued to be generated, with up to 60,000 and 38,200 more workers, respectively. Agriculture, however, lost 6,200 employed during the second quarter. Furthermore, between April and June, the private sector was the one that boosted employment, after adding 501,600 workers; for its part, the public sector experienced a cut of 15,600 people.More temporary than permanent

In Catalonia, regarding contract duration, the temporary employment rate has stood at 12.2%, above the 11.6% of the first quarter of this year and also the 11.7% of the second quarter of last year. In total, Catalonia has registered 424,600 temporary workers between April and June, while 3,062,700 people have permanent contracts. Thus, the quarterly increase in employment has been stronger among temporary contracts, which have grown by 10.54%, than among permanent ones, which have grown by 4.33%. The same applies to year-on-year increases, where there is a growth of 7.38% in temporary contracts compared to a rise of 2.2% in permanent contracts.

The Catalan part-time employment rate also rises, standing at 14.1% between April and June, higher than the 12.9% of the first quarter or the 13.6% of last year. The phenomenon continues to affect women (19.7%) much more than men (9.2%).