The traps in solitaire of some economists and politicians require that many others must be attentive so as not to lose touch with the economic reality in which intervention is desired. Thus, when they tell us that income is improving, and that employment is improving even more, they are indirectly telling us that productivity is falling; sometimes to imply later that this drop is due to the lack of effort of the workers, ignoring the role of business surpluses in the accompaniments of technology to labor. Likewise, it is frightening to see how some pride themselves on job creation, despite the extremely high unemployment rate that Spain maintains (and would have more if we correctly counted the number of unemployed). Let us remember that fixed-term discontinuous employees are not considered unemployed, even though they receive benefits, and that, therefore, ingenuity must be forced to calculate the effectively employed population.

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.

Squatting is the bogeyman the right wing uses to justify and facilitate evictions, turning them into a tool for speculation. A sharp and effective tool. Do you realize (or calculate, or fantasize) that you could get three or four times that amount for that apartment you're currently renting? Is the only obstacle the current tenants, who religiously pay their rent and fulfill all their obligations, but whom you want to evict and don't know how? No problem: you should be able to evict these unwelcome tenants without having to give any further explanations, because you are—magic words—the owner (the right wing always prefers "small landlord," which sounds nicer, even if the "small landlord" owns seven or eight apartments). The legislation being promoted by the PP and Vox parties in the regions they govern, such as Valencia and the Balearic Islands, follows this trend: facilitating and justifying evictions, and making them a decision that depends exclusively on the intentions of the property owner, whether small, medium, or large. Juntos por el Cambio is perfectly aligned with the PP and Vox on this issue, and even adds a touch of patriotic rhetoric.

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.

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.

Family businesses view the economic situation with some optimism, giving it a score of 5.66 on a scale of 0 to 9, higher than they estimated a year ago. Nearly half expect moderate economic growth and limited net job creation, at 48%; although another 47% believe growth will be fragile without net job creation. 52% estimate they will maintain their current workforce.

At first glance, the walls appear sturdy and the facade is in perfect condition. Inside, it's true that some windows lack glass, the copper pipes and cables have been ripped out, and the paint on some walls is peeling. But the apartments are in really good condition: they're large, bright, and above all, it's surprising that they've remained closed for more than 25 years despite the severe housing crisis. Even more so considering that they're all public housing. They were part of the former Civil Guard barracks in Sabadell and were abandoned with the deployment of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Spanish police) in the late 1990s. Since then, they've been empty due to a dispute between the Ministry of the Interior and Sabadell City Council.

More tourism, fewer jobs in manufacturing. This is, in essence, the conclusion of a new study analyzing the impact of the increase in foreign visitor flows on the labor market in Spain. It shows how the arrival of more tourists leads to an increase in hiring in this sector and in related services, but at the same time destroys others, especially in manufacturing, where wages have also fallen.

Girona City Council is cracking down on squatters. This week, after days of surveillance and a permanent police presence in the area, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) and the Municipal Police carried out an operation to evict the squatted building on Tomàs Mieres Street, next to the train tracks. A troubled building where, since before the summer, around thirty squatters had been living with their electricity tapped, causing much unrest among the residents, with recurring complaints of fights, dirt, and noise until late into the night.

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.

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.

Tourism still drives the entire Catalan economy and business, but with less intensity. This is indicated by all the forecasts, and by other analyses as well. This allows the large services sector, the one with the greatest weight in the economy as a whole, to maintain a high cruising speed (0.8%). On the other hand, industry, hospitality, and transportation remain stable (0%), catapulting the share of visitors staying in four- and five-star hotels to 56.4% of the total. On the other hand, the number of state tourists fell to 7.6 million, as the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce points out in its 2024 Economic Report. In any case, given the higher levels reached, more income will have to be adapted than from visitors, according to They warn some economics professors, as Guillem López Casasnovas.

The State Public Employment Service (SEPE) offers a monthly stipend of €570 for unemployed individuals between the ages of 30 and 55 who have exhausted their contributory unemployment benefits. This new stipend has been available since April and aims to financially support those with a monthly income below 75% of the minimum wage.

The Les Termes neighborhood of Sabadell experienced its second consecutive night of tension on Thursday due to a clash between residents opposed to the occupation of a business by two men and the police. Initially, a demonstration had been called to express their opposition to a situation that several residents described as conflictive, but the protest soon took a turn: although none of the occupants remained in the building, altercations broke out, a stabbing occurred, and a minor was arrested as the alleged attacker, in addition to several injuries. Fires were also set and there were direct clashes with Mossos d'Esquadra officers.

The length of a person's working life has a direct impact on the retirement benefits they receive once they stop working and, consequently, on whether they are forced to postpone or delay leaving the workforce for even longer. In fact, to be eligible for retirement, it is necessary to contribute a minimum number of years, in addition to being of legal pensionable age. However, there are a number of factors that make this path difficult, especially among today's young people. One of these is entering the labor market later, as confirmed by a study by the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (Ivie) and the BBVA Foundation.

The latest labor market data has once again exceeded expectations. and confirm a surprising trend: the Catalan and Spanish economies are holding their own in a cooling European context. In the Latest growth forecasts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) The international organization highlighted Spain as the only major economy that will improve by up to 2.5% in 2025. The Airef and theOECDHowever, they warn that the repercussions of Trump's policies—and the uncertainty they generate—could reduce this growth, but never below 2.3%.

A warning: from today until Sunday, you'll only hear shouts. Especially from the PP, but not only, because when you call out to everyone else, they also raise their voices to be heard. And if they were shouts about matters of life or death, they would still be. But no, they're shouting in the same old fight.

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.

Being of upper, middle, or lower social class influences the choice of university degree. This is one of the main conclusions of the report presented this Thursday by the Agency for the Quality of the Catalan University System (AQU) based on 21,000 surveys conducted among university graduates three years after completing their degree at a Catalan university.

The labour market provided another piece of good news in February, with a significant rise in Social Security affiliation and a reduction in the total number of unemployed workers, according to data published on Tuesday by the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Social Security. After the job losses we are used to in January, the second month of the year was much better than usual, especially in Catalonia. The number of members increased by 23,373 people in the Principality, which puts the total number of employed at 3.77 million. Thus, Catalonia contributed practically one in four new workers to the whole of the State, where another 100,340 members were registered in February, bringing the total to 21,196,154.