As every year, January has left an intense destruction of jobs and an increase in unemployment. Bad month for the labor market for seasonal reasons, before the end of the Christmas campaign, 2025 has started with about 242,000 jobs less on average, an elevated figure in absolute terms, but which represents a drop of 1.1%, in line with previous years. As for unemployment, it increased by 38,700 people, where appropriate a reduced fact for this month and left the total unemployed by almost 2.6 million people, the lowest data since 2008.
Thus, the data at the beginning of 2025 enters within the usual of the bad records of January, without reasons for the alarm. The drop in average affiliation in 242,000 workers is very bulky, one of the largest in recent years, but we must remember that we are now at record employment levels, with more than 21 million workers. In relative terms, on the total number of people employed, the fall in the employment of this January is similar to that of other years, of 1.1%.
The reduction of employment focuses on trade and hospitality, with the farewell of the Christmas campaign, without other sectors pulling the labor market. This year, there has been a decrease of 48,300 average workers in trade (-1.8%) and 47,300 in the hospitality (-3.4%) compared to the previous month. It also highlights the fall in administrative activities and auxiliary services, which include the ETTs, with a decrease of 45,000 workers (-3%).
The total number of workers is thus located almost 21.1 million affiliated people on average, almost half a million more than the previous year, which is an intense job creation. Specifically, 491,000 people most affiliated with Social Security, which maintain the pace of creating jobs in 2.4%, as in the close of 2024.
If the de -stationalized data is observed, which isolate the evolution of the labor market of the calendar’s own, employment grew more than 35,700 people in January.
Unemployment, at least 17 years ago
Unemployment, one of the biggest weak points of the Spanish labor market, leaves better news. Although the registered strike increases, as always occurs in January, the increase is lower than usual for this date of the year, as highlighted by the Secretary of Work Statement, Joaquín Pérez Rey, this morning. The Second Vice President and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, highlighted this morning the relevance of today, “historical”, for something that will mark this Tuesday in the calendar: the government takes the first step to reduce the working day to 37 hours and average.
It increased by about 38,700 people, who signed up for the Public offices of the SEPE. It is 1.5% more, a lower percentage compared to the registered other years. For example, in 2024 and 2023 it was 2.2 and 2.5%, respectively.
The total unemployed stood in almost 2.6 million people, the lowest registration in this month for 17 years, since 2008, with the beginning of the financial crisis. Of these, almost 1.6 million are women and around another million, men.
Regarding the month of December, the registered strike descends in the construction in 4,500 people (-2.3%) and the industry, in 240 people (-0.1%), as well as among the “collective without previous employment”, in 2,200 (-0.9%). It increases in services, in 44,600 people (2.4%) and agriculture 1,100 (1.3%).
With an eye on the previous year, the rhythm of reducing unemployment accelerates and reaches 6% year -on -year, which translates into 168,400 unemployed people less.
Temporary employment in minimal
The total number of contracts registered during the month of January has been 1.2 million, of which 508,000 are indefinite, almost 42% of the total. The labor reform limited the number of temporary workers, which used to be almost 90% of the contracts signed each month.
The Social Security Ministry reports that the temporality rate, the weight of temporary workers over the total, remains at a minimum, in 12.8%. Joaquín Pérez Rey has highlighted the deep change caused by the labor reform, which has achieved that, according to the EPA, the temporality in the private sector is already below the European average, a circumstance that seemed impossible before regulation.
“There is not only more employment, there is also a notorious improvement of its quality. At present, there are about 14.7 million employed with an indefinite contract, of which more than 9.7 million work full time. They suppose almost 3.7 million members with an indefinite contract more since the approval of the labor reform, ”says the Ministry of Elma Saiz, which adds that“ the number of fixed-discontinuous ones, however, stabilizes and represent, only, only, 5% of total affiliates ”.
Source: www.eldiario.es
