New occupancy record in Catalonia thanks to the Holy Week boost

BarcelonaThe Easter hiring boom has pushed Catalonia to a new all-time record for employment. The labor market gained 37,403 registered workers in April, coinciding with the late start of the tourist season, which weighed on the economy. data from the first quarter of the active population survey (EPA). There have never been so many people in employment in the Principality as there were last month: an average of 3,844,216, according to data published this Tuesday by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. This figure surpasses the previous record highs recorded during the summer of 2024, when the employment ceiling in Catalonia was already broken.

Looking back, there are now 80,046 more Social Security affiliates in our country than twelve months ago, representing an increase of 2.13%. By province, Tarragona is the Catalan territory where the Easter effect has been most noticeable in the tourism sector, with a 3.58% increase in affiliation and another 12,175 people in employment. On the other hand, this indicator fell in Lleida, with the loss of 280 jobs (-0.13%). On the other hand, Barcelona gained 13,994 members (+0.48%), while Tarragona added 11,514 (+3.19%).

Spain also surpassed all historical records and almost reached 21.6 million members on average (21,588,639), after increasing by 230,993 people during the last month. This is equivalent to an increase of 1.1% and, as the ministry has highlighted, is the second largest rebound in an April after 2023, when the best performance in the historical series was recorded. It is the fourth largest increase in any month since records began.

Unemployment on the decline

The Ministry of Labor also shared registered unemployment data this Tuesday: Catalonia was the autonomous community where unemployment fell the most in absolute terms after Andalusia. Specifically, there are 6,048 fewer people registered on public service job seekers' lists, a 1.82% drop compared to March. However, there are still 325,717 unemployed people in Catalonia.

In Spain as a whole, unemployment also declined thanks to Easter contracts, falling by 67,420 people. This is a 2.61% reduction, bringing the total to 2,512,718 people, the lowest figure since July 2008. In an interview on Antena 3 this morning, the Second Vice President of the Spanish Government and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, emphasized that the labor market data is very good: ". The leader of Sumar has admitted that there is still "much to do," despite the record figure of youth unemployment - one of the major concerns of recent decades - and the historic drop in unemployment among women. "We have an employment situation that speaks very well of Spain. The regulations we make are very good for the country," Díaz defended.