Catalonia hits record 3.92 million workers as April unemployment posts sharpest drop in seven years

Catalonia set a new employment record in April, with 3,921,134 people registered with Social Security, according to data from Spain's Ministry of Inclusion and Social Security.

The record figure marks an increase of 38,360 workers compared with March, up 0.99%.

Compared to April 2025, Catalonia has added 76,918 workers, up 2%, extending uninterrupted year-on-year growth since April 2021.

It is only the third time employment has exceeded 3.9 million, after June and July 2025.

Unemployment fell by 8,949 people in April, a 2.77% decline and the steepest drop for the month since 2019, bringing the total number of jobseekers to 314,527.

Catalonia’s business minister, Miquel Sàmper, described the figures as "very positive."

April coincided this year with the Easter holiday period.

Social Security registrations rose by 38,360 in April, broadly in line with recent years. In absolute terms, it was the third-largest increase for the month on record, behind 2023 and 2017.

Catalonia's employment growth slightly lagged the Spanish average of 1.02%. Across Spain, the labour market reached a record 22.1 million workers after adding 223,685 in April. Over the past year, 517,000 jobs have been created across Spain, a 2.4% increase that outpaces Catalonia's rate.

Catalonia ranked fifth among Spain's autonomous communities for job creation in April, behind the Balearic Islands, Extremadura, Cantabria and Andalusia.

Employment rose across all Catalan provinces except Lleida, where it edged down 0.25%. Tarragona and Girona recorded the strongest growth, with employment increasing by 3.41% and 3.18% respectively.

Unemployment

April's unemployment figure is the lowest for the month since 2008, when 299,387 people were registered as jobless. It is also the lowest overall total in 18 years, since June 2008.

Registered unemployment fell for a second consecutive month, declining 2.77% from March. The April drop is the sharpest for the month since 2019, when it exceeded 3.5%.

Compared with a year earlier, unemployment fell by 11,190 people, a 3.44% decrease, continuing a downward trend that began in April 2021.

The figures contrast with the Labour Force Survey published last week, which showed a 24% rise in unemployment in the first quarter compared with the previous three months — the sharpest increase since 2009.

As is typical, women accounted for a larger share of the unemployed, with 182,520 women out of work compared with 132,007 men. There were 65,039 unemployed foreign nationals, 2.75% fewer than in March.

By sector, unemployment fell most sharply in agriculture (-3.94%) and services (-2.98%), while also declining in construction (-1.94%) and industry (-1.64%).

Year-on-year, however, the biggest reduction has been in construction, where unemployment has dropped 13.37%. Agriculture (-8.26%) and industry (-5.96%) also recorded notable declines, while the fall in services (-2.60%) was below the Catalan average. Easter also fell in April last year.

Unemployment decreased in all provinces in April, with the sharpest declines in Tarragona (-3.82%) and Girona (-3.78%), areas with a strong tourism sector. Lleida saw a 2.62% drop and Barcelona a 2.50% decrease.

Year-on-year, Girona recorded the largest fall in unemployment, down 6.06%, roughly double the Catalan average. It was followed by Lleida (-3.95%) and Tarragona (-3.94%), while Barcelona posted the smallest decline at 3.01%.

Across Spain, unemployment fell below 2.4 million for the first time since June 2008. In April, the number of jobseekers dropped by 62,662, or 2.59%, a smaller percentage decline than in Catalonia.

Year-on-year, unemployment fell by 6.2%, with 155,674 fewer people out of work.