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. data from the Active Population Survey (EPA) for the first quarterThere have never been so many people in employment in the Principality: 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 contributors 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%). For its part, Barcelona has gained 13,994 members (+0.48%) and Girona, 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, it is the second largest rebound in an April month after 2023, when the best performance in the historical series was recorded. It is the fourth largest increase in any month since records began. In absolute figures, Catalonia was the autonomous community where membership increased third the most, after the Balearic Islands (+62,884) and Andalusia (+53,980).

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% decrease compared to March. However, there are still 325,717 unemployed people in Catalonia.

The Secretary of Labor, Paco Ramos, emphasized that "the two positive figures were due to the boost Easter has had on the Catalan labor market," and noted that this is the lowest unemployment rate for a month of April since 2008. The senior government official expressed optimism "about the evolution of the labor market in the coming months." Ramos admitted that the rate of unemployment reduction is slower than in recent years, but attributed this to cumulative growth, as the market has seen five years of year-on-year declines: "It is increasingly difficult to reduce unemployment at the same rate."

Across Spain, unemployment also reversed thanks to Easter contracts, falling by 67,420 people. This represents a 2.61% reduction, bringing the total to 2,512,718, 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 positive: "The leader of Sumar acknowledged that there is still "much to do," despite the record drop in youth unemployment—one of the major concerns of recent decades—and the historic decline in unemployment among women. "We have an employment situation that speaks very well for Spain. "The regulations we're making are very good for the country," Díaz argued.

The Secretary of State for Labor, Joaquín Pérez Rey, and the Secretary of Social Security, Borja Suárez, also highlighted the stability of employment four years after the implementation of the labor reform. They also dismissed the "bad omens" generated by the latest EPA (Labor Reform Act). "The Copernican turn of labor reform toward stable employment is consolidated," Pérez Rey said at the press conference. The level of permanent contracts stood above 44% in April.