Alicante’s labor market continues to show mixed signals as August brings a boost in tourism activity while other sectors slow down due to the typical summer dip. The holiday period often reduces Social Security contributions and raises registered unemployment, a pattern observed this year as well.
According to government data released on Monday, Alicante shed 8,939 jobs last month, with the total number of contributors at 733,099. The drop mirrors the decline seen in August of the previous year. Social Security also recorded a decrease, with 9,059 fewer registered workers, a number that remains lower than pre-pandemic levels for this time of year. Usually, the summer break reduces employment by about 11,000 to 15,000 positions.
Unions consistently point to the end of temporary contracts and factory or business shutdowns during holiday periods as contributing factors to these losses.
Tourism leads the state to break employment records for the fourth month in a row
In this context, data released on Monday show that the manufacturing sector lost the most jobs this month, with an average of 4,344 fewer workers. Education also reduced headcount by 2,520 as the academic year ended and institutions paused activity in July.
Another notable decrease occurred in formal employment structures, with 1,655 fewer contributors, aligning with holiday disruptions affecting business operations.
Overall, the number of affiliates was low across most categories with a few exceptions. Hospitality continued to create jobs, adding 342 positions, while public administrations rose by 334. Health services added 1,351 roles, supported by renewal contracts that cover holiday periods.
August ended a six-month stretch of intense job creation in Alicante, though the province still posted a positive year-over-year figure, with approximately 22,253 more people employed than in August of the previous year. This suggests that the overall trend remains favorable despite monthly fluctuations.
Most job losses, by contribution plans, were recorded in employment for others, indicating reductions in wage earners by about 8,392. Self-employment also declined slightly, reducing the total to 140,332.
Unemployment
Looser membership data also showed changes in the registered unemployed. According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, the total unemployed reached 131,950, while the year-over-year comparison shows 10,418 fewer unemployed than at this time last year, despite the August uptick.
In August, 32,703 new contracts were recorded, an 18% drop from the same month a year earlier. Among these, about half were temporary and half permanent, with the permanent-contract rate around 50% for August, somewhat lower than earlier months of the year.
Alicante breaks employment record and unemployment rate drops to 12.67%, the lowest level since 2008
July data show that as September approached, around 75,215 people were receiving some form of help, with 57% registered at Labora offices. Of these, 34,400 received contributions, 34,762 subsidies, and 6,053 benefited from additional income schemes. These figures reflect ongoing support measures to sustain households during the employment cycle.
A autonomous data
Regionally, the Valencian Community saw a net loss of 27,199 members, leaving 2,078,479 contributors overall. Valencia province experienced the largest drop with 15,856 fewer contributors, followed by Castellón with a decline of 2,405. The number of registered unemployed rose by 3,190, reaching 329,391 in total.