Informe
In Alicante province, women make up the majority of the inactive population and have experienced only a small reduction in inactivity over the last decade. The gender gap in permanent contracts remains significant, and in 2023 the province showed a notable shortfall in female social security affiliation. Women are overrepresented in part‑time work compared to men, underscoring persistent imbalances in full‑time employment and long‑term job stability. The data highlight ongoing gender disparities in the labor market and caregiving responsibilities that affect employment outcomes.
Additionally, the gender gap in unemployment in December 2023 shows a higher number of unemployed women, with household duties disproportionately falling on women. This reflects long‑standing inequalities in family care responsibilities and the burden of domestic labor carried by women, which continues to shape labor market participation.
Labor market overview
The Sociolaboral Report on Women in Alicante, produced by the UGT union with data from the Public Employment Service (SEPE) and the Active Population Survey (EPA), was released to mark International Women’s Day with the slogan “Goal equality: it’s not just our problem. Shared responsibility.”
One key takeaway from a decade‑long look at the labor market is the evolution of the female unemployment rate. From 2012 to 2023, the rate declined from 30.45% to 17.25%, indicating a substantial improvement in women’s employment prospects and access to job opportunities.
Active population
The report also examines Alicante’s active population, where women lag behind men (454,400 women versus 524,400 men). The gender gap in activity peaked in 2014 with a shortfall of 91,000 active women. Since 2018, the gap has narrowed, but in 2023 there was a modest uptick of about 4,300 women, widening the difference again.
Furthermore, the activity rate for women remains between 50% and 55%, while men stay between 60% and 65%, maintaining the gender divide in workforce participation.
“Back in 2013, the female activity rate stood at 52.93%; by 2023 it reached 53.12%. Over ten years, growth was a mere 0.73 percentage points. This underscores the need to bring more women into the labor force to boost provincial economic growth and productivity. The employment of women should be viewed as an opportunity to strengthen the economy and the efficiency of the local job market,” notes UGT.
Registered unemployment
Other indicators in the report include shifts in women’s inactivity, unemployment rates, hiring, and affiliation. In 2023, male unemployment hovered around 17% while female unemployment remained around 17% after a decade of decline, but the year ended with women facing higher unemployment than men in daily figures.
During 2023, female unemployment surpassed that of men, and the gender gap persisted throughout the year. In response, UGT calls for employment policies that boost women’s participation in stable, full‑time and permanent contracts under equal conditions with men to achieve true gender equality in the workplace.
Collective bargaining
UGT advocates strengthening collective bargaining to enforce equality measures in collective agreements and equality plans, aligning those negotiations with the regulations on equality plans and equal pay, and ensuring the necessary public resources for compliance.
It also demands full compliance with equality plans as required by law, enhanced active employment policies with a gender perspective, and positive action measures aimed at eliminating discrimination and inequality in employment.
Another priority is the adoption of gender‑aware policies across all sectors, with a focus on care, dignifying the domestic care workforce, achieving full parity of rights for domestic workers, and implementing effective shared responsibility policies.
Care and time use
The union calls for increased investment in high‑quality, free, publicly accessible care services for children, the elderly, dependents, and people with disabilities. It also urges reducing work hours and restructuring working time to offer greater flexibility, including explicit rights to flexible hours and hour‑bank arrangements for workers.
Lastly, UGT requests the immediate convening of a social dialogue table to transpose the European Salary Transparency Directive into Spanish law, without waiting for the 2026 deadline, to reinforce equal pay for equal value work.
These issues reflect a broader push for equality and shared responsibility in the labor market and care economy, with the headline goal of achieving gender equality in pay, opportunity, and work conditions across Alicante and beyond (UGT report, 2023).