A new phase of the year opened with a clear reminder of how seasonal cycles influence regional labor markets. In the province of Alicante, the end of the Christmas campaign left a notable imprint on employment figures, mirroring trends seen in recent years. The number of Social Security affiliates dipped by 11,613, continuing a pattern that began the previous year and aligning closely with the fluctuations recorded over the last five years, including 2019 before the pandemic reshaped many economic dynamics. The explanation is simple in its core: the service sector remains highly sensitive to the holidays, when consumer activity spikes and then recedes, pulling down payrolls across several activities. Yet a brighter note exists in the monthly comparison: Alicante now holds the record for the highest number of Social Security affiliates in January in its historical series, reaching a total of 718,402. This juxtaposition—historical peak alongside a sharp monthly drop—frames a real-world juggling act that local policymakers, businesses, and workers face as they navigate the year’s first quarter.
Alicante’s year began by reproducing familiar patterns: substantial job losses, a consequence of ongoing reliance on services and the seasonal rhythm that accompanies the Christmas period. The data show 11,613 fewer members than the immediate past, a figure closely matching last year’s decline of 11,835. The excavation into sectorial movements reveals a shared story: many components of the economy move in lockstep with the holiday cycle, a fact that underscores the importance of seasonal factors in regional hiring. In practical terms, the strongest downward impact was felt in accommodation and trade, while industry, construction, and agriculture also contracted, though to a smaller degree. This multi-sector decline paints a composite picture of how demand shortfalls ripple through payrolls, supplier networks, and downstream employment.
The breakdown across sectors shows the accommodation sector as the hardest hit on a monthly basis, with 4,126 fewer affiliates bringing the total to 78,713. The trade sector recorded 2,382 fewer workers, leaving it at 139,226. Other activities did not escape the downward trend, but the scale of the impact varied. Manufacturing lost 872 positions and stood at 82,790, construction contracted by 179 leaving 57,638, and agriculture decreased by 39, landing at 4,688. In the broader labor landscape, unemployment rose by 1,217 to a total of 133,828 people. Among services, which typically lead employment gains in such cycles, a single positive note emerges: within services, the only productive sector to show a measurable increase in unemployment was recorded as 1,522, a sign that shifts in demand have different effects across industries. The projection line remains cautious, with the expectation that unemployment could stabilize around 92,300 if current trends hold, even as total employment in the region weathers the seasonality-driven adjustment. In construction, unemployment declined by 170 and settled at 11,700; in trade and other sectors, unemployment hovered around 15,838 and 4,189 respectively; and in the group of people entering the job market without prior employment, unemployment rose by 40 to 9,801. Yet against these movements, there were also notable reductions in unemployment year over year, with a net improvement of 8,590 fewer unemployed people compared with the previous year. This nuanced portrait underscores how seasonal pressures, sector performance, and workforce dynamics intersect to shape the region’s labor market at the start of each year, offering policymakers and businesses a clearer view of where resilience remains and where targeted support could help smooth the path for workers as the economy pivots from holiday demand to its next cycle of activity.