Unemployment rises for fourth consecutive month in Catalonia, despite employment topping 4 million

Registered unemployment in Catalonia rose for the fourth consecutive month in October, reaching 338,246 people, an increase of 8,174 (+2.48%) compared with September.

The rise was the largest recorded in October since 2019 and marks the longest run of monthly increases since October 2023 to January 2024.

The number of people out of work was also up 4.24% year-on-year, with 13,750 more unemployed than in October 2025.

It marks the first annual increase in unemployment in October since 2020.

Record employment

The rise in unemployment came despite employment reaching a new record, with the number of people registered with Social Security exceeding four million for the first time.

There were 4,032,774 registered workers in Catalonia, up 29,540 over the month and 149,917 year-on-year.

The Catalan government's Work Secretary Paco Ramos sought to emphasise the positive employment figures, describing Catalonia as a "job creation engine" for Spain.

He attributed the rise in unemployment to seasonal patterns and defended the "solidity" of the labour market, which he said continued to generate opportunities and grow in both the "quantity and quality of employment."

Foreign nationals

Although unemployment remains relatively low by historical standards, October's total was the highest in two years.

It was nevertheless the third-lowest figure for the month since 2008.

Foreign nationals were among the groups most affected.

Unemployment among foreign workers rose by 31.6% year-on-year and by 8.31% over the month, reaching 85,713 people.

They accounted for 25.3% of all registered unemployed people in Catalonia, the highest figure since June 2021.

People with no previous registered employment also saw a particularly sharp annual increase in unemployment, of 50.2%.

The figures also reflect the impact of Spain's regularisation process for foreign nationals.

At the end of October, 490,586 people who had benefited from the process were registered with Social Security across Spain, 20.1% of them in Catalonia, which had the largest number. 

Across Spain, foreign workers now represent 16.4% of all registered workers, or nearly 3.7 million people.