The province of Alicante has long followed a seasonal pattern shaped by tourism. The end of summer brought a loss of 3,981 jobs in September, a downturn that typically accompanies this period, with the notable exception of 2020 and 2021 when the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the labor market. Hiring in manufacturing, education, and construction helped cushion the drop in payrolls in commerce and hospitality, though not enough to reverse it. Unemployment rose by a barely perceptible 37 people. Despite September’s decline, the average number of Social Security affiliates in Alicante stands at 748,950, meaning 18,848 jobs were created over the past year.
The commerce and hospitality sectors, closely tied to tourism, were the hardest hit according to the figures published by the Ministry of Inclusion and Social Security. In commerce, 4,110 affiliates were lost, bringing the total to 142,639, and in hospitality, 3,393 were lost, leaving 96,852. A noticeable drop also occurred in artistic and recreational activities, down by 1,537 affiliates to 14,876, and, to a lesser degree, in agriculture, which fell by 30 to 4,696.
The other side of the ledger shows gains as the vacation period ended. Education rose by 2,133, taking the total to 41,212, and industry increased by 1,261 to 80,788. Construction also rose, with 626 more affiliates, reaching 58,128. These increases, however, did not fully offset the downturn experienced by sectors linked to tourism.
Regarding unemployment, the data from the Ministry of Labor indicate a rise of 37 people in the province, bringing the overall total to 125,836. The services sector led the increase, with 530 more people added to the unemployment lists, reaching 85,950. The group without prior employment also grew, by 103 new unemployed, to a total of 9,679.
On the downside, construction saw 345 fewer unemployed, bringing the figure to 11,426; the industry declined by 207 to 14,978; and agriculture dropped by 44 to 3,803.