SPAIN’S jobless total fell by 16,291 people in December, a 0.7% decrease compared to November.
It means the total of registered unemployed in the country stands at 2.4 million.
Across 2025, the total fell by 6% compared to the previous year- the largest annual cut since 2022.
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Despite everything, with the current level of unemployment, Spain is still the country with the highest jobless rate in the EU
December’s reduction was primarily driven by the services sector, where jobless numbers fell by 14,287 (-0.8%).
This runs parallel to extra hiring during the Christmas season in the retail, hospitality, and logistics sectors.
In contrast, unemployment rose in sectors less exposed to seasonality.
In construction, the jobless total went up by 5,568 people (3.2%), while in industry, it rose by 1,684 (0.9%).
Social Security affiliation increased by 19,180 people in December—a modest figure for a month that typically sees one of the largest increases of the year.
Contributors totalled 21.8 million people.
In December 2024, affiliation grew by 35,500, and in December 2023 by 29,936, confirming that the growth recorded at the end of 2025 was more moderate than in previous end-of-year periods.
For 2025 as a whole, the number of contributors grew by 506,451 people, allowing the year to close at a record high for new registrations.
It was the fourth consecutive year that new social security registrations topped half-a-million.
In seasonally adjusted terms, affiliation added 33,076 workers in December and surpassed 21.87 million for the first time.
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