Catalonia is approaching summer, setting a new occupancy record.
Unemployment marks another month of decline, with 6,198 fewer people out of work.
BarcelonaThe late start of the tourist season already boosted in April towards A new absolute record for employment in Catalonia, and as summer approaches, the milestone continues. In May, the Catalan labor market once again reached historic highs, with an average of 3,881,281 Social Security affiliates, according to data published this Tuesday by the relevant ministry. This is an increase of 37,065 people, 0.96% more than the previous month. Thus, Catalonia was the second territory in the country in job creation in absolute terms, behind only the Balearic Islands (+51,237 people), where the arrival of warm weather (and tourists) also kick-starts the campaign for new hiring.
As for unemployment, it registered another month of decline. Specifically, in Catalonia it fell by 6,198 people, a decline of 1.90%, greater than the decreases of the last two years. This brings the total number of unemployed citizens to 319,519, according to data published this Tuesday by the Ministry of Labor. This is the lowest unemployment rate since June 2008, when there were 311,422. This indicator fell by 3.4% in the last year, meaning there are 11,263 fewer unemployed than in 2024. Among the Catalan regions, unemployment fell the most in percentage terms in Lleida (-3.56% and 570 fewer people), followed by Tarragona (-2.7% and 2.7% and 2.7% fewer). In Barcelona, unemployment fell by 3,830 people, a 1.57% decrease compared to the previous month.
This reduction in unemployment in Catalonia has also been widespread across gender, age, and sectors, with the decline being most notable in agriculture (-5%), followed by construction (-2.9%), industry (-2.2%), and services (-1.8%). There has even been a decrease among the previously unemployed, with a 2.7% decrease. "These are historic figures. Month after month, they demonstrate an incontestable fact: the economy and the labor market are solid and evolving positively," remarked Paco Ramos, Secretary of Labor of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), during the press conference assessing the statistics.
In May, 215,889 contracts were signed, of which 44.7% were permanent and 55.3% were temporary. This represents a 15.8% increase in hiring compared to April, although this indicator fell by 2.8% year-on-year. Regarding the limits of this improvement in the Catalan labor market and the achievement of full employment, Ramos expects this growth rate to continue and predicts that in the coming months the number of Social Security affiliates in Catalonia could reach 3.9 million.
State affiliation records
Across the country, May was also a record month for Social Security affiliation. An average of 21,784,375 people were registered as employed, a new all-time high after adding 195,736 compared to April, which also broke the previous record. The ministry led by Elma Saiz highlighted that in the last seven years, since May 2018, 2.8 million new members have been added, of which 1.5 million are women. For the first time, female participation in the labor market now exceeds 10.3 million women.
Regarding unemployment, Spain fell below 2.5 million for the first time since July 2008. The total number of unemployed people fell by 57,835 in May, to 2,454,883. This represents a 2.3% decline, and in the last year, the number of people registered with employment services has fallen by 152,967, a drop of 5.87%. The Secretaries of State for Labor, Joaquín Pérez Rey, and for Social Security and Pensions, Borja Suárez, stated that the unemployment and affiliation data for May confirm that the labor market is immersed in a "spring" in terms of employment, with all variables showing a "clearly positive" trend, and they welcomed the stability.
The Second Vice President of the Spanish Government and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, also highlighted the reduction in youth unemployment during the month of May. In this regard, she noted that youth unemployment is the "lowest in the entire historical series." "The worrying figures we were used to from the People's Party (PP), with 56% youth unemployment, are now a long way off," Díaz added, and welcomed the fact that "there are now only 171,300."