Catalonia remains the engine of employment in Spain, according to Economy Minister Àngels Sàmper, despite a seasonal drop in Social Security affiliations in August 2025. The region added nearly 77,100 workers year-on-year, maintaining record-high employment levels even as temporary summer jobs ended.
In the third quarter of 2025, employment measured by the Labour Force Survey (LFS) rose 2.3% year-on-year to a record 4 million workers. Social Security affiliations also increased by 2.2% over the same period, according to data from Idescat and the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations in the Generalitat's November 2025 investor presentation.
The unemployment rate stood at 8.2% in Q3 2025, up slightly from 8.1% in Q2 but still near historic lows. Annual unemployment for 2025 is forecast at 8.4%, falling to 8.2% in 2026, with nearly 110,000 new full-time equivalent jobs expected across the two years.
August dip follows seasonal trend
In August 2025, Catalonia lost 63,562 Social Security affiliations, a 1.62% monthly decline, the largest drop among Spanish regions. This brought the total number of affiliated workers to 3,848,783, still 77,060 more than in August 2024.
This is the best record of affiliations for an August in the historical series.
Said Paco Ramos, Secretary of Labour at the Generalitat, noting that the monthly drop is typical at summer’s end. Registered unemployment in Catalonia rose by 7,942 in August, a 2.49% increase, but remained 8,625 lower than a year earlier, the lowest August figure since 2007.
Across Spain, 199,300 jobs were lost in August, with unemployment rising by 21,905. Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz attributed the national trend to seasonality, noting the increase was 34% lower than the historical average.
Wages rise above inflation
Wages in Catalonia grew above inflation in 2024, though they have not yet recovered the purchasing power lost in 2022, according to the 2024 Annual Report of the Catalan Economy. The temporary employment rate fell to 12.2%, a new low, while involuntary part-time work declined to 33.1%.
Catalonia’s GDP per capita reached €37,197 in 2023 based on Idescat estimates, 7.2% above the EU average in purchasing power parity, though this marks a decline from pre-pandemic levels.
Primary sources: Generalitat de Catalunya, Generalitat de Catalunya - Departament d’Economia i Finances, record.bibliotecadigital.gencat.cat. Reported by europapress.es, en.ara.cat, Euronews.com.
