---
title: "Spain Hits a Record 22.85 Million Workers | Metaintro"
canonical: "https://www.metaintro.com/blog/spain-unemployment-q3-2026-record-employment"
language: "en"
author: "drashtigarach"
published: "2026-10-28T13:56:28.000Z"
modified: "2026-10-28T13:56:28.000Z"
---

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# Spain Hits a Record 22.85 Million Workers, Yet Its Jobless Rate Rises to 10.18%

Spain had a record 22,852,600 people in work in the third quarter, yet unemployment rose by 95,900 and the jobless rate hit 10.18%. See who got the jobs.

[![Drashti Garach](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:40:40/q:72/plain/images/5719d740-e510-42bc-8017-e040d145f35f_1766029465094.png)Drashti Garach @DrashtiGarach](/blog/author/drashtigarach)

[October 28, 2026](/blog/archive/2026/10)12 min read

![Madrid commuter station from a footbridge, tiny commuters at rush hour](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:1200:675/q:78/plain/images/spain-unemployment-q3-2026-record-employment-hero.jpg)

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Spain's employment count [rose by 73,600 in the third quarter of 2026 to 22,852,600](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), a level the Economy Ministry called a [new all-time high](https://www.larepublica.co/globoeconomia/tasa-de-desempleo-en-espana-supera-barrera-de-10-en-septiembre-con-10-18-4511834) (translated), in the Labour Force Survey (EPA) published on [27 October 2026](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) by the [National Statistics Institute (INE)](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). In the same quarter, unemployment [rose by 95,900 to 2,591,200](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) and the jobless rate reached [10.18%, up 31 hundredths of a point](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) from the [9.87% recorded in the second quarter](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA2T26.htm). Both happened at once because the [labour force grew faster than employment](https://www.que.es/2026/10/27/epa-tercer-trimestre-2026-paro/) (translated). For [Metaintro](https://www.metaintro.com) readers job hunting in Spain, the detail below shows which sectors, regions, contracts and groups of workers gained this summer, and which ones did not.

## What Did INE's Third-Quarter Survey Show?

The headline numbers point in two directions. Employment [grew on the quarter](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). The seasonally adjusted count, which strips out the usual summer pattern, reached [22,729,600, also the highest level on record](https://www.que.es/2026/10/27/epa-tercer-trimestre-2026-paro/) (translated).

Unemployment moved the other way, as the quarterly rise in the jobless count was [3.84%](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), and seasonally adjusted unemployment [increased by 0.14%](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). The unadjusted rise was [the sharpest summer increase since 2020](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html).

Over a full year [the picture is better than the quarterly one](https://www.que.es/2026/10/27/epa-tercer-trimestre-2026-paro/) (translated). Employment [grew by 465,500 people over the last year](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), a rise of [2.08%](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx), and unemployment [fell by 21,900 over the same period](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). A year earlier, in the third quarter of 2025, the jobless rate was [10.45%](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T25.htm) and [22,387,100 people were in work](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T25.htm).

## How Can Employment Hit a Record While Unemployment Rises?

The answer is in the labour force, which counts [the people who are working or looking for work](https://www.que.es/2026/10/27/epa-tercer-trimestre-2026-paro/) (translated). It [grew by 169,500 to 25,443,800](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) in the quarter, a [record](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html). With [more people entering the market than jobs created, the difference is exactly the rise in unemployment](https://www.que.es/2026/10/27/epa-tercer-trimestre-2026-paro/) (translated).

Part of that growth came from foreign nationals, as the active labour force expanded, [driven in part by ongoing extraordinary regularisation processes for foreign nationals](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html), and the number of active people [rose by 99,900 among foreign nationals and by 69,600 among Spaniards](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). The activity rate [rose 22 hundredths to 59.52%](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), with [70.33% for foreign nationals against 57.62% for Spaniards](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), a gap INE puts down mainly to [the different age structure](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) (translated).

The survey's flow tables show how much movement sits under those net figures. Of the people who were unemployed in the second quarter, [636.7 thousand were in work in the third quarter](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx), while [623.6 thousand people moved the other way, from a job into unemployment](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx).

> Employment in Spain lost momentum at the height of the summer, according to [the Sur in English report](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html).

## Who Got the New Jobs, by Nationality and Sex?

The split by nationality is stark. Employment [fell by 1,800 among Spaniards, including dual nationals, and rose by 75,400 among foreign nationals](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). On the unemployment side, the count [rose by 71,400 among Spaniards and by 24,500 among foreign nationals](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), so Spanish nationals [accounted for 75% of the rise in unemployment](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html).

The jobless rate is still higher for foreign workers, as it stood at [14.5% for foreign nationals and 9.26% for Spaniards](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx) in the third quarter.

By sex, [women gained more jobs than men](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) both this quarter and over the year. Over the last year, employment [rose by 262,100 among women and 203,400 among men](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). This quarter, employment [grew by 26,800 men and 46,800 women](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), which took female employment to [a record 10,663,700](https://www.andaluciainformacion.es/articulo/espana/epa-espana-alcanza-record-228-millones-ocupados-suma-95900-desempleados/202610270910383518790.html) (translated). Men took the larger share of the rise in unemployment, with [55,700 more unemployed men and 40,300 more unemployed women](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). Even so, the female jobless rate of [11.28%](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) remains above the male rate of [9.20%](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm).

## Which Sectors Added Jobs and Which Lost Them?

Services [accounted for all net job gains](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html). The sector [added 235,600 jobs on the quarter](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) and reached [a record 17,492,500 workers](https://www.andaluciainformacion.es/articulo/espana/epa-espana-alcanza-record-228-millones-ocupados-suma-95900-desempleados/202610270910383518790.html) (translated). Every other major sector shrank, with [agriculture down 58,300, industry down 54,400 and construction down 49,300](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm).

Unemployment [rose this quarter in every sector](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), led by [services with 54,800 more unemployed people, followed by agriculture with 18,000, industry with 14,300 and construction with 4,900](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). Over the last year the picture is mixed, as employment [grew in services by 479,400 and in construction by 30,500, and fell in industry by 25,900 and in agriculture by 18,600](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) (translated).

The public sector [led the quarter's job growth, offsetting the fall in private employment](https://www.andaluciainformacion.es/articulo/espana/epa-espana-alcanza-record-228-millones-ocupados-suma-95900-desempleados/202610270910383518790.html) (translated). Public employment [grew by 89,900 to 3,736,800](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), while private employment [fell by 16,300 to 19,115,800](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). That is a [record level for public employment](https://www.andaluciainformacion.es/articulo/espana/epa-espana-alcanza-record-228-millones-ocupados-suma-95900-desempleados/202610270910383518790.html) (translated).

## Are the New Jobs Permanent or Temporary?

[Three of every four salaried jobs created this summer were temporary](https://www.andaluciainformacion.es/articulo/espana/epa-espana-alcanza-record-228-millones-ocupados-suma-95900-desempleados/202610270910383518790.html) (translated). The number of employees [rose by 90,000, with 22,100 more on permanent contracts and 68,000 more on temporary ones](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), so temporary contracts made up [75.6% of new salaried roles](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html). That took the number of temporary employees to [3,024,100](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx).

The longer trend favours permanent work, as permanent employees [increased by 519,200 over the last year](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), against [48,400 more temporary employees](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), and permanent positions totalled [16,651,400](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx), a level [Sur in English called a record](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html). The temporary employment rate is [15.37% overall and 12.57% within the private sector](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html).

Hours shifted toward full-time work, as full-time employment [grew by 244,400 while part-time employment fell by 170,800](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) in the quarter. Over the last year, full-time employment [rose by 417,600 and part-time employment by 47,900](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). Self-employment went the other way, with [15,500 fewer self-employed workers this quarter](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), leaving their total at [3,167,900, down 104,700 over the past year](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx).

## Which Regions and Provinces Have the Highest and Lowest Jobless Rates?

Where you live in Spain changes the odds a lot. The [Balearic Islands had the lowest jobless rate at 4.63%, and Andalusia the highest at 14.91%](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). INE counts people by [the region where survey respondents live, not where their workplace is](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) (translated).

The largest job gain was in the [Canary Islands, with 38,100 more people in work](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), and the largest fall was in the [Community of Madrid, down 49,200](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). In relative terms the Balearic Islands grew fastest, at [3.94%](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). Unemployment fell most in the [Balearic Islands, down 9,900, and rose most in the Valencian Community, up 31,000](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm).

Among the large regions, the jobless rate was [8.18% in Madrid, 8.3% in Catalonia, 11.82% in the Valencian Community and 7.17% in the Basque Country](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx). Ceuta and Melilla had rates of [18.5% and 18.87%](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx).

By province, rates were [8.17% in Barcelona, 13.62% in Málaga and 14.95% in Seville](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26_PRO.xlsx). Within Andalusia, Granada had [16.14% and Almería 16.1%](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26_PRO.xlsx), while in Castile and León, Burgos had [5.49%](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26_PRO.xlsx).

## What Does the Data Say About Young and First-Time Job Seekers?

Young people did find summer work, as employment among people aged 20 to 24 [rose by 83.8 thousand on the quarter](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx), and among 16 to 19 year olds it [rose by 41.6 thousand](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx). The Minister of Economy, Commerce and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, said [about 465,000 more people are working than a year ago, of whom 120,000 are young people](https://www.larepublica.co/globoeconomia/tasa-de-desempleo-en-espana-supera-barrera-de-10-en-septiembre-con-10-18-4511834) (translated).

First-time job seekers had a tougher quarter, as unemployment [rose by 16,300 among people looking for their first job](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) this quarter, and by [10,400 over the past year](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). The number of unemployed people aged 20 to 24 [rose by 39.7 thousand on the quarter](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx).

Long-term unemployment kept easing, with unemployment among people who lost their job more than a year ago [falling by 12,400 this quarter](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). The Economy Ministry highlighted that people seeking work for over a year [fell by 24,400 to 758,400 over the last year](https://www.andaluciainformacion.es/articulo/espana/epa-espana-alcanza-record-228-millones-ocupados-suma-95900-desempleados/202610270910383518790.html) (translated), and those out of work for two years or more [by 63,000](https://www.andaluciainformacion.es/articulo/espana/epa-espana-alcanza-record-228-millones-ocupados-suma-95900-desempleados/202610270910383518790.html) (translated).

Households felt the quarter too, as homes where every active member is unemployed [rose by 21,800 to 786,100](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), and the jobless rate for sons and daughters of the household reference person was [18.73%, against 8.37% for the household reference person](https://www.ine.es/prensa/anexo_tablas/es/EPA3T26.xlsx).

> Public sector hiring proved vital in offsetting private sector losses, according to [the Sur in English report](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html).

## How Does This Summer Compare With Earlier Ones?

This quarter's gain is [the smallest third-quarter increase since 2019](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html), compared with third-quarter job gains of [118,400 in 2025](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T25.htm), [138.3 thousand in 2024 and 188.0 thousand in 2023](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm).

Earlier summers were mostly stronger, with third-quarter gains of [235.9 thousand in 2017 and 183.9 thousand in 2018](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), while 2019 added only [69.4 thousand](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm).

The government reads the data positively, and Cuerpo said employment has now grown for [25 consecutive quarters](https://www.larepublica.co/globoeconomia/tasa-de-desempleo-en-espana-supera-barrera-de-10-en-septiembre-con-10-18-4511834) (translated). The Economy Ministry also pointed out that the jobless rate is [the lowest for a third quarter since 2007](https://www.andaluciainformacion.es/articulo/espana/epa-espana-alcanza-record-228-millones-ocupados-suma-95900-desempleados/202610270910383518790.html) (translated). He also said employment [keeps growing in higher value-added, higher-wage sectors such as professional and scientific activities or finance](https://www.larepublica.co/globoeconomia/tasa-de-desempleo-en-espana-supera-barrera-de-10-en-septiembre-con-10-18-4511834) (translated), and that jobs in research [rose by more than 20% in the last year](https://www.larepublica.co/globoeconomia/tasa-de-desempleo-en-espana-supera-barrera-de-10-en-septiembre-con-10-18-4511834) (translated).

## How Is the EPA Measured, and What Changes Next Year?

The EPA is [a continuous quarterly survey of households](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) (translated), not a register of contracts. INE has run it [since 1964](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), and in the third quarter of 2026 the effective sample was [around 46,000 dwellings and 110,000 people](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) (translated). Interviews are done [in person, by phone and online](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) (translated), and they refer to [the week before the interview](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) (translated).

That makes it a different measure from other job data, and the EPA [is not the same as Social Security registrations, although the two are often confused](https://www.que.es/2026/10/27/epa-tercer-trimestre-2026-paro/) (translated), and it [measures employment on criteria comparable with the rest of Europe](https://www.que.es/2026/10/27/epa-tercer-trimestre-2026-paro/) (translated).

The way jobs are sorted by industry is changing, as from the first quarter of 2026 the survey [began coding economic activity with the new CNAE activity classification](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) (translated), and press releases for [the first quarter of 2027 and later quarters will compare sectors using the new classification](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) (translated). Some activities move between sectors under the new system, and for example [building construction, civil engineering and specialised construction activities are now split partly between construction and services](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm) (translated), so sector comparisons from 2027 will use the new groupings.

## What This Means for Job Seekers in Spain, and What Should You Do Next?

The [record the ministry points to](https://www.larepublica.co/globoeconomia/tasa-de-desempleo-en-espana-supera-barrera-de-10-en-septiembre-con-10-18-4511834) is real, but so is the squeeze. The labour force is at [a record size](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html), and this summer the private sector, industry, construction and farming all [had fewer people in work than in the second quarter](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm). The jobs that did appear were mostly in services and the public sector, and [temporary contracts dominated seasonal hiring](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html).

- **Target services first.** Services were [the only sector to add jobs this summer](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), as every other major sector shed workers. If you are moving across from a factory, farm or building-site role, look at [service jobs from retail to hospitality to field service](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/service-jobs-explained-retail-hospitality-field-service).
- **Weigh temporary offers against the yearly trend.** Temporary contracts made up [most new salaried roles this summer](https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/growth-slows-summer-20261027000500-nt.html), yet over the year [permanent contracts grew far more than temporary ones](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm).
- **Look at the regions with low rates.** The jobless rate ranges widely, from [the Balearic Islands at the low end to Andalusia at the high end](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), so a move or a remote search across regions widens the pool.
- **Treat a first job search as a project.** With [more first-time job seekers out of work this quarter](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), a sharper application matters. Under-25s can also follow [the government's first-jobs proposal for under-25s](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/spain-youth-unemployment-460000-jobs-plan).
- **Watch the pay floor.** If you are taking an entry-level or seasonal role, follow [the push to lift Spain's minimum wage](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/spain-unions-minimum-wage-7-percent-1306-euros-2027).

Our take is that the headline jobless rate matters less than where the jobs went. A summer in which jobs grew only in services and the public sector is narrower than the record suggests, and the next survey will show whether the private sector picks up again in the autumn.

Lacey Kaelani, [Metaintro](https://www.metaintro.com)'s CEO, puts it this way: A record number of people in work does not help much if you are one of the new faces still looking, so go where the hiring is happening now rather than where it used to be.

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## People Also Asked

### Q: What is Spain's unemployment rate now?

A: The latest Labour Force Survey puts it at [10.18% in the third quarter of 2026](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), up from [9.87% in the second quarter](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA2T26.htm), with 2,591,200 people unemployed.

### Q: How many people work in Spain?

A: There were [22,852,600 people in work in the third quarter](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), which is a [record high](https://www.andaluciainformacion.es/articulo/espana/epa-espana-alcanza-record-228-millones-ocupados-suma-95900-desempleados/202610270910383518790.html) (translated).

### Q: Which region of Spain has the lowest unemployment?

A: The Balearic Islands had the lowest rate in the third quarter, at [4.63%](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm), while Andalusia had the highest, at [14.91%](https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/EPA3T26.htm).

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