The unemployment rate for people over 55 stood at 9.8% in 2025, 0.4 percentage points higher than the rate recorded for the over-25 age bracket. Historically, this age group has shown lower levels of unemployment than the rest of the workforce, according to the latest analysis by the BBVA Foundation and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (Ivie) in their publication Esenciales, which tracks trends since 1980. However, this barrier has gradually faded, disappearing completely in 2023 when the differential became unfavorable for older workers. Over the last two years, this gap has continued to widen.
The study also reveals that a majority (57.9%) of unemployed people over 55 are long-term unemployed, which represents an added obstacle to their employability.
Furthermore, the average annual salary for older workers is higher than that of other employees, at €30,038 compared to €26,855 for those aged 25 to 54. However, for older workers with less than one year in their current position, the average salary is significantly lower, at €19,558.
