The first quarters are traditionally not good for employment, as they are heavily marked by the end of the Christmas campaign. This year, Catalonia added 84,400 unemployed in absolute terms between January and March, 24% more than the previous quarter, the worst quarter-on-quarter increase since 2009. It is the second autonomous community with the highest increase, only behind the Balearic Islands, where the number of unemployed people soared by 76.55%.According to the active population survey (EPA) published this Tuesday, the Catalan unemployment rate in the first quarter stood at 10.12%. The National Institute of Statistics (INE) estimates that in Catalonia there were 435,600 people who wanted to join the labor market and could not. At the end of last year, however, unemployment stood at 8.24%.If we compare it to the first quarter of 2025, then the number of unemployed in Catalonia increased to a lesser extent – by 15.71% –, but it also grew because the beginning of the year is complicated in terms of employment. Last year Catalonia already experienced the worst start to the year since 2012, adding 47,200 new unemployed people, but this year it has broken new records and surpassed that threshold. The professor of labor law at the University of Barcelona (UB), Jordi Garcia, assured l?ARA that these EPA results show a "change in trend" regarding the dynamism of the labor market observed since 2011. "What is happening is no longer a slowdown in growth, but rather a decrease, a drop," he explained, and he contextualized it within a loss of dynamism in the economy in general.More employment

Despite the increase in the unemployment rate, in Catalonia this first quarter there were 16,900 more workers than in the same period last year, an increase of 0.44%. The explanation is that the volume of the active population – that is, of people who work or want to work – grew more than that of the employed population – people with a paid job –. Therefore, in proportion, those who entered to form part of the unemployed grew more than the group of workers, who represented a smaller percentage of the total.Between January and March, 46,300 jobs were destroyed, causing a 1.18% decrease in employment. In absolute numbers, this means that in Catalonia there were 3.87 million employed people, fewer than the almost four million in the last quarter of last year.Concern among social agents

Social agents have made a negative reading of the data. While Catalan UGT has opined that they show a "worrying evolution" of the Catalan labor market, CCOO de Catalunya has lamented that "they cannot be explained solely by the weight of seasonality". From the employers' associations, Foment has opined that the data are "especially negative" and Pimec has argued that the rise in unemployment "is not explained by a change in economic expectations".For their part, the Minister of Business and Labor, Miquel Sàmper, has committed to studying the data with "diligence". "In the registered unemployment so far, the trend is not this", stated the Secretary of Labor, Paco Ramos. They will analyze "whether trade or the tourism sector has had an impact" or if, on the other hand, the de-seasonalization strategy needs to be "strengthened". In parallel, however, Sàmper has not wanted to fail to highlight that the increase in the active population to record figures is "positive news because it shows that more people want to work in Catalonia", where there is "a dynamic market that works".Unemployment rises by 9.34% across the State

In the State as a whole, the unemployment rate was 10.83%, the lowest level in a first quarter since 2008. The number of employed people broke a new record, exceeding the threshold of 22.5 million people for the first time, after adding 532,300 workers in the last year. In contrast, Spain counted 2.7 million unemployed, 9.34% more than last quarter, but 2.89% less than in the same period last year.In absolute terms, however, between January and March, 170,300 jobs were destroyed in the State compared to the last quarter of last year. In seasonally adjusted terms, the balance was positive, showing a net incorporation of 96,800 people into the labor market, a 0.43% growth in the employment rate. Professor Jordi Garcia has warned that, "whenever someone looks for an excuse, they use the concept of seasonally adjusted", and finds it "difficult to understand that there are very different trends in Catalonia compared to the State". He recalled that Catalonia is a territory "with a lot of economic activity, and that means that if there is a general slowdown, it will probably be felt even more in Catalonia".The year-on-year increase in employment advanced in parallel with the active population, which in the State also reached a new historic high, standing above 25 million people. In the last year, Spain added 447,000 people capable of entering the labor market.

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The unemployment rate in Catalonia stood at 8.2% in March. This is the result of a new labor market statistic from Idescat (Catalan Institute of Statistics), which also analyzes the Catalan active population and the employment rate. Until now, the unemployment rate was only known once a quarter, when the National Statistics Institute (INE) published the Active Population Survey (EPA).

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Spain and Catalonia continue to be European exceptions regarding the performance of the economy and job creation. With the data for March presented by the Ministry of Labour, Spain reaches for the first time in history the mark of 22 million Social Security affiliates, 3.4 million more than in 2018, when Pedro Sánchez arrived at Moncloa. In the case of Catalonia, the record was reached last summer, with 3.9 million affiliates, then it fell slightly and is now about to recover (3.88 million). Unemployment also decreased by 23,000 people in the State and by 3,777 in Catalonia. At the end of the month, we will have the data from the EPA survey and, therefore, a more accurate snapshot of the unemployment rate.

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Registered unemployment in the public employment services in Catalonia fell by 3,777 people in March compared to the previous month, according to data published this Monday by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy. Thus, the number of unemployed people in Catalonia at the end of last month was 323,476, 1.15% less than the previous month. Employment grew again and the number of affiliates to Social Security in Catalonia exceeded 3.88 million people, approaching the historical highs of 3.9 million last summer. In Catalonia, there are 75,961 more employed people than a year ago (+2%) and 32,415 more than in February (+0.84%). During March, 217,315 employment contracts were formalized in Catalonia, 16.1% more than in February and 7.7% more than a year ago. In the State as a whole, seasonally adjusted affiliates exceeded 22 million for the first time, a historic record for employment.

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For the third consecutive year, reality has exceeded forecasts for the Spanish economy. On average, 25 research institutions and departments calculated that Spain's gross domestic product (GDP) would increase by around 2.1%, while it ultimately grew by 2.8%, a difference of seven-tenths of a percentage point. Ceprede-UAM (Center for Economic Forecasting-Autonomous University of Madrid) and CEEM-URJC (Center for Economic Studies of Madrid-King Juan Carlos University) came closest to the final result, with a forecast of 2.5%, a deviation of three-tenths of a percentage point from the actual growth.

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Social Security affiliation continued to grow in February in both Catalonia and Spain, although, in parallel, unemployment rose again for the third consecutive month. However, the number of unemployed last month was lower than the figures recorded a year ago, according to employment data published this Tuesday by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The same pattern was repeated in Spain, with the total number of unemployed workers increasing, but with figures lower than those of February 2015. Specifically, at the end of February in Catalonia there were 327,253 workers seeking employment, 2,039 more than a year ago. in JanuaryUnemployment in Catalonia rose by 0.63%, according to data published Tuesday by the Ministry of Labor. This marks the third consecutive month of rising unemployment in the Catalan labor market, which reached its lowest level since 2008 (when the financial crisis and housing bubble burst) in June, with just over 315,000 unemployed. Despite these three months of increases, the unemployment figures remained 2.11% below the levels of February of last year, when there were 7,088 more unemployed than last month. Nationwide, unemployment also increased, rising by 3,584 people (0.15%) compared to January, reaching 2,442,646 unemployed. As in the case of Catalonia, despite the increase, unemployment remained below the levels of a year earlier, and in the last 12 months it fell by 150,803 people, a 5.84% decrease. By autonomous community, only Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha experienced a greater increase in unemployment in absolute numbers than Catalonia. By region, the bulk of job losses were concentrated in Barcelona, ​​the most populated, where unemployment increased by just over 2,000 people, while in Lleida and Tarragona the increases were 130 and 17 more unemployed, respectively. Girona, on the other hand, ended February with an average of 126 fewer unemployed than the previous month.

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When he was the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell described Europe as "a garden," in contrast to the "jungle" that is much of the rest of the world. On paper, this supposed garden is based on the security and capacity for citizens to progress economically and materially, guaranteed by a strong state that redistributes wealth through taxes, but above all through basic services. In other words, the defining element of European progress is the so-called welfare state. Despite Borrell's positive words, the viability of this welfare state is being questioned across the continent, doubts that also affect Catalonia and Spain. What future, then, does the welfare state system, on which the Catalan economy is based and on which millions of people depend to a greater or lesser extent, have?

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The new income tax return campaign has already begun. In Catalonia, during the approximately three months it will last, the Tax Agency expects to refund 2,087 million euros to 2.2 million citizens. In contrast, the entity expects to collect 5,386 million euros from 1.9 million Catalans. The total amount of money that taxpayers will have to pay, therefore, increases by 15.6% compared to last year. Regarding wealth tax, the Tax Agency expects to collect 882 million euros. Thus, revenue from this tax will soar by 15.8% compared to what was collected last year, when the entity collected 761 million from Catalans. The number of declarations for this tax will also increase, going from 94,500 last year to more than 98,000 expected to be processed this year.

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These past few days, long lines have been seen at many foreign consulates in various countries, such as Pakistan, as people seek the necessary documents to begin the immigration regularization process launched by the Spanish government. This process could have a direct impact on the lives of these individuals, but also on the Catalan and Spanish economies. At a time of robust economic growth and with the unemployment rate in Spain having fallen below 10% for the first time in eighteen years, foreign workers are particularly welcome.

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The unemployment figures from the Labor Force Survey for the fourth quarter of 2025 have been released. Everyone is celebrating them as excellent news: unemployment in Spain has fallen below 10%. for the first time in eighteen yearsI reread the news and I wasn't wrong. With all the immigration that has been arriving for years in almost every autonomous community in Spain, the unemployment rate has just fallen below 10%. Data from the previous quarter in other neighboring and comparable economies shows Greece (often the European record holder), 8.2%; Italy, 5.7%; and France, 7.7%. Only South Africa, a world leader for decades, surpasses us among medium-sized/large economies, with 31.9%. In Europe, the Eurozone is at 6.3%; the United Kingdom at 5.1%. In other words, we still have a huge problem with unemployment.

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Employment in Catalonia and Spain continued to grow in the last three months of 2025, reaching record highs. This led to the unemployment rate falling to its lowest level in almost two decades in Spain, below the 10% mark, according to data from the Labor Force Survey (EPA) published this Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE). In Catalonia, however, the unemployment rate rose slightly. Thus, the unemployment rate in Catalonia was 8.24% in the fourth quarter of 2025, six hundredths of a percentage point higher than... the 8.18% recorded in the previous quarterHowever, the increase in the unemployment rate occurred despite a reduction of approximately 900 people in the total number of unemployed workers over the quarter, which stood at 351,200. This is because, proportionally, the number of unemployed decreased at a slower pace than the total number of people (employed or unemployed) active in the labor market, which fell from 4.3 million to 4.26 million between the third and last quarters of last year. As for the total number of employed people—that is, workers with jobs—in Catalonia, this figure fell by approximately 37,400 to 3,913,200.

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The Basque Country became the first region in Spain to assume responsibility for unemployment benefits this Friday. This is the result of an agreement reached... in extremis This Thursday, the Basque and Spanish governments signed an agreement granting the Basque Country, through the resources of the Economic Agreement, five new powers previously held by the central government. Beyond unemployment benefits, the Basque Country will also manage non-contributory family benefits from Social Security, Maritime Rescue, School Insurance, and the Machinery Verification Center in Barakaldo.

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The US labor market is weakening. The unemployment rate climbed to 4.6% in November, its highest level in more than four years, although employment increased by 64,000 jobs, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The unemployment rate rose two-tenths of a percentage point from 4.4% in September, a month in which the US economy added 119,000 jobs. Although the number of jobs created in November was lower, it exceeded analysts' estimates of 50,000 jobs. While this report does not include complete data for October, when many of the usual economic indicators were not collected due to the shutdown of central government operations caused by the federal government shutdown, it does reflect a sharp drop of about 105,000 jobs in the tenth month of the year.

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After a slight increase in October, when unemployment in Catalonia rose by 2,423 people, the number of people registered on the public employment service lists returned to a downward trend in November. In the eleventh month of the year, the number of workers registered on the unemployment rolls in Catalonia fell by 3,119, a 0.96% decrease compared to the previous month. This figure means that, over the last year, the number of unemployed workers in Catalonia has decreased by 11,156 people, a 3.35% drop compared to twelve months ago, according to data published this Tuesday by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy. With these figures, Catalonia ended last November with 321,376 people registered on the unemployment rolls.

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The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) unemployment rate remained at 4.9% in July, in line with June figures, the organization for advanced economies reported Thursday. Thus, unemployment in the OECD has now been at or below 5% for 39 consecutive months. In July, unemployment remained unchanged in 20 OECD countries for which data are available, decreased in 11, and increased in two.

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The day brings us good news, which is that Unemployment has fallen to levels prior to the 2008 crisisIt's true that the latest employment data covers both Easter, when hiring increases, and the start of the summer season, when many contracts are also signed. But considering that, with a much larger population than 17 years ago, we have an unemployment rate slightly above 8%, with nearly four million people working, is good news.

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The labor market continues to expand both in Catalonia and throughout Spain. Employment continued to grow in the second quarter of the year, with Catalonia now approaching four million employed people and reducing the unemployment rate to almost 8%, according to data from the Labor Force Survey (EPA) for the second quarter of this year, published this Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). Overall, employment in the country exceeds 22 million workers for the first time, while the unemployment rate falls below 11% and for the first time falls below pre-2008 financial crisis levels.

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The number of unemployed (people without work and available for work) increased by 47,200 in the first quarter. This significant figure has raised some alarm and prompted a search in historical data for other poor first quarters. The year 2012 has appeared, when unemployment rose by 61,500. But the contextual situation is not comparable, because that year closed with a staggering figure of over 26% unemployment, while now in Catalonia we are below 9%.

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The Government will appoint Francesc Castellana today as director of the Catalan Employment Service (SOC), replacing Juan José Torres, who has held the position since September 2021. The replacement comes at the request of Torres, who cited personal and family reasons, according to ARA.

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The labor market continues to improve its data, both in Catalonia and in Spain. The Principality led job creation during March in absolute terms, according to data published this Wednesday by the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Social Security.

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