Spain sets new employment record with 22.8 million in work and jobless rate falls below 10%

Published on 28/07/2026 - 10:43 GMT+2

The Spanish labour market once again hit record highs in the second quarter of the year. The Labour Force Survey (EPA) published on Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE) puts the number of people in work at 22.779 million, after 486,000 jobs were created between April and June. At the same time, unemployment fell by 213,300 people, bringing the jobless rate down to 9.87%, the first time it has dropped below 10% since 2008.

The rise in employment coincides with the start of the summer season, a period traditionally favourable for job creation, especially in services. The active population also increased over the quarter, surpassing 25.2 million people, reflecting growth both in employment and in the number of people looking to enter the labour market.

Services accounted for most of the new jobs, boosted by tourist activity, although construction and industry also saw gains. Agriculture, by contrast, was the only sector to shed jobs during the period. The regions with the strongest job creation were the Balearic Islands, Murcia and Catalonia.

The EPA also shows that employment growth continues to rest mainly on salaried and stable work. Almost three quarters of workers now have permanent contracts, and the use of temporary contracts kept falling, especially in the private sector. In addition, full-time jobs once again accounted for the bulk of new hires.

On the back of these figures, the labour market has recorded several consecutive quarters of sustained growth and is edging closer to the goal of reaching 23 million people in work, a target that the government considers achievable if the current pace of job creation is maintained.