Predictions have come true as Alicante, during June, faced a new busy period in tourism season, reaching a fresh record for the third year in a row after April and May. While job creation slowed compared with earlier years and with pre-pandemic averages, the pace was still notable, and in comparison with last year, growth was more modest in Alicante.
In total, Social Security recorded an average of 736,468 participants in the province last month, yielding 6,146 new jobs in Alicante. This is a striking figure, rising 0.84 percent, higher than the national average of 0.26 percent, yet still below the 8,243 jobs created last year and well under the levels seen between 2016 and 2019 in the same month.
Nonetheless, this marks the highest employment volume in Alicante in the entire historical series and translates to 22,634 more jobs than a year earlier.
The improvement in employment also showed up in a drop in registered unemployment, with the number of people on the rolls falling by 2,846 to 131,869. This decline exceeded the year-ago figure for June, which ended with 2,139 unemployed. Overall, the province recorded the lowest number of unemployed since October 2008.
sectors
When looking at sector distribution, trade led hiring this time, adding 2,720 new jobs, equal to 44 percent of total hires last month. It is worth noting that consumer sales rose in distribution chains such as supermarkets, which expanded their staff to cover summer holidays and the influx of visitors in tourist areas. In addition, seasonal campaigns contributed to higher hiring in sales roles.
On the other hand, the hospitality sector tempered new hires after substantial reinforcements in prior months. Still, industry added more than 2,000 new jobs, accounting for almost a third of the total.
Administrative activities and business services added 768 new participants; health and social services employed 763 more people; entertainment and culture added 541; manufacturing 449; new technologies 234; and construction 230.
The only notable decline occurred in education, due to the termination of replacement contracts and related activities, such as canteens or extracurricular programs, as well as some teaching staff at the end of courses.
hiring
Regarding job quality, permanent contracts remained the majority, with 52.3 percent of June hires being permanent. The slightly lower rate than recent months, when permanents exceeded 56 percent, reflects a shift toward temporary contracts under labor reforms, though these measures did not eliminate flexibility in contract types, such as seasonal or other non-permanent arrangements.
In total, 50,880 new contracts were signed, almost 11,000 fewer than last year.
Labor reform halves the number of people with more than ten contracts a year in Alicante
In June, men accounted for most new hires, with 3,978 new jobs, compared with 2,168 for women, according to data from the Ministry of Social Security.
In terms of social protection, in May 70,558 people in Alicante received some form of assistance from Sepe, just over half of the total, of which 28,051 received contributions; another 36,326 received subsidies and 6,181 benefited from Active Income support.
Ratings
In the assessments, unions reported positive employment data and supported the labor reform, urging policymakers to maintain it. They argued that the province should curb excessive temporary hiring and promote stable, indefinite contracts to ensure greater workforce security and steady growth.
Communication, creativity and computer management, skills most demanded by companies
The head of Employment for the region highlighted that occupancy figures remain robust and noted a historic rise in corporate profitability driven by price levels and wage control. This context helps explain concerns about stagnant wages and hourly pay for many workers, a theme seen across the market.
He underscored the role of companies as a central driver of economic growth, with a favorable tax framework that supports increasing domestic and international competitiveness and, as a result, a growing demand for skilled labor.
autonomous data
Regionally, Valencia Community registered 4,948 new jobs in June, bringing total employment to 2,099,889. Alicante and Castellón posted gains, while Valencia saw a slight decline of about 2,200 jobs. Registered unemployment fell by 5,341 across the region. The regional employment minister noted that never before have so many people worked in the community and highlighted the strong results achieved across Botànic’s two legislatures. In Alicante, the labor market figures reflect significant progress since June 2015, with notable improvements in employment levels.