SPAIN’S quarterly jobless figures have fallen below 10% for the first time since 2008, according to data produced by the National Statistics Institute (INE) on Tuesday.
Employment also reached a record high in the second quarter of 2026.
The Active Population Survey released by the INE showed that the number of unemployed people fell by 213,300 from the previous quarter to 2,495,300.
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Compared with a year earlier, the figure was down by 57,800, bringing the unemployment rate to 9.87%- the lowest quarterly level for 18 years.
Meanwhile, the number of people in work increased by 486,000 from the previous quarter to a record 22.7 million.
On a year-on-year basis, that number grew by 510,200 people.
A statement from the Ministry of Economy said: “This is the sixth consecutive quarter in which year-on-year employment growth has exceeded half a million.”
It added that the ‘strong’ labour market had also improved the situation of households.
The Ministry commented that the new jobs were largely permanent and private-sector?positions.
Temporary employment accounted for ?15% of salaried workers, while higher-value sectors such as healthcare, education, professional services and finance recorded some of the strongest annual gains.
Labour Minister, Yolanda Diaz, said: “We are leaving behind the Spain that dreamed of having 20 million people in work.”
“That Spain, which once seemed like a dream, has now become too small for us,” she added.
The second quarter of the year is traditionally the period with the strongest job creation in Spain, due to the start of the summer tourism season, and that trend continued this year.
The service sector added 394,000 jobs, while construction and industry created 60,000 and 38,200 jobs, respectively
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