Unemployment rate in Spain rises to 11.4% in largest increase since 2013

THE first quarter of 2025 shows bad figures for the Spanish labour market, according to the Labour Force Survey (EPA).

Unemployment is growing rapidly, it goes from 2.56 million unemployed at the end of 2024 to 2.79 million in the first quarter of 2025. 

That’s an increase of 193,700 unemployed, the biggest jump at this time of year since 2013, at the height of the Great Recession.

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This acceleration means that the unemployment rate goes from 10.61% to 11.36%, which is an increase of almost 0.8%. 

First quarters of every year are usually bad for the Spanish labour market, due to the seasonal factor of the economy. 

Tourist numbers have a great influence on the numbers, Easter usually boosts the figures for the second quarter, in which there are also hires for the summer, the third includes the summer months, and the fourth quarter has the boost of Christmas.

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Although the difference with respect to the previous quarter is gloomy, the interpretation improves in year-on-year terms. 

A year ago the unemployment rate was 12.3%, almost one point higher than now. 

At that time, Spain reported 2.98 million unemployed, almost 200,000 more than in the first quarter of 2025. 

The number of employees also improved compared to 12 months earlier, with a jump of 515,400 employed.