Never before had there been 20.9 million people employed in the Spanish economy. The threshold of 20.9 million contributors was first surpassed last March, propelled by jobs in hospitality and retail driven by Holy Week. According to data from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations released on Tuesday, the average affiliation rose by 193,585 contributors in March, bringing the total for the month to 20,901,967 employed in what is known as the “original series,” the reference series. This represents 525,414 more workers than a year earlier, an increase of 2.6%.
At the same time, registered unemployment in employment offices fell by 33,405 people during March, reaching 2,727,003 individuals. This is the lowest figure since March 2008, according to data published Tuesday by the Ministry of Labor.
On the Way to 21 Million
Although the symbolic 21 million mark has not yet been broken, the trend suggests it is within reach. In fact, the seasonally adjusted series of the affiliation statistics shows that the coveted milestone has been surpassed. The ministry’s statement notes that Spain has achieved a historic first: over 21 million people are affiliated with Social Security. The agency chose to reference the seasonally adjusted data rather than the original series, which is traditionally used as the benchmark.
In the ministerial remarks, the message was clear: March records mark a historical turning point. The minister highlighted the structural shift prompted by the labor reform, with a boost in higher-quality jobs. The data also show that women account for the largest share of new affiliations, nearly 10 million or 47.35% of the total. Specifically, March registered 9,896,150 affiliated women, an increase of 297,948 from March 2023, meaning more than half of the employment growth in the last year occurred among women (56.7%).
Hospitality and Retail Drive Employment
Looking at sectors, the General Regime saw the strongest growth in hospitality, adding 81,151 affiliates, a 6.1% rise. Retail followed with 13,643 more affiliates, and education added 11,744. All sectors within the General Regime either grew or remained stable. By broad activity areas, 87% of new contributors were concentrated in the services sector (168,259 new affiliates in total), while construction added 8,838 workers, industry 6,622, and agriculture gained 9,867 new employed individuals.
Among the 193,585 new affiliates in March, 175,978 belonged to the General Regime, while the autonomous workers regime reported 15,434 new affiliations. The maritime regime saw 2,171 new contributors in March.
One in three of the new March affiliates were foreign workers, who now total more than 2.7 million contributors, representing 13% of the overall total.
Andalusia led job creation in March with 47,939 new contributors (25% of the total), followed by Balearic Islands with 33,322 and Catalonia with 32,548 new employed individuals. Valencia Community added 21,495 affiliates in March, and Madrid 17,002 new affiliates.
In terms of contract type, March saw 87.3% of affiliated workers on permanent contracts, a historic high, rising 17.3 percentage points since the reform. The temporary-work rate remained at historically low levels (12.7%). For those under 30, the reduction in temporary contracts was even more pronounced, dropping 33.6 percentage points from pre-reform levels (from 53% to 19.4%).
The number of workers on ERTE (temporary layoff schemes) remained near historical lows, around 11,600, equating to less than 0.1% of total affiliates.
Unemployment Declines Across Sectors
In a month marked by Holy Week festivities, the unemployment office figures dropped across most sectors, especially services, by 31,294 people (−1.58%). Industry fell by 2,055 (−0.96%), agriculture by 1,502 (−1.52%), and construction by 333 (−0.16%). The category of job seekers with no previous employment rose by 1,779 (0.71%).
Male unemployment declined more slowly, with 10,396 fewer unemployed men (−0.94%), bringing the total to 1,094,446. Youth unemployment under 25 also decreased in March by 2,748 (−1.32%), totaling 205,007, the lowest March level in the series.
Unemployment Falls in Most Regions
The unemployment rate dropped in fifteen autonomous communities, though increases occurred in the Basque Country (926 more) and the Community of Madrid (701 more). Leading declines were in Andalusia (11,374 fewer), the Canary Islands (4,686 fewer) and the Valencian Community (3,998 fewer). In Catalonia, unemployment fell by 1,984 people, bringing the total to 344,389 unemployed individuals.
New Contracts
In March, a total of 1,123,488 new contracts were signed. Of these, 504,893 were permanent, accounting for 44.94% of all contracts.
The total number of temporary contracts registered in March stood at 618,595, the lowest figure since 1997.