The total number of unemployed stood at 2,311,499, the lowest figure for this month since 2007. This means the figure has once again exceeded the 2.3 million mark, which it had fallen below in June for the first time in 18 years.
Reported by Consejeros Editorial Team
Registered unemployment at Public Employment Service offices rose by 19,517 people in July, bringing the total number of unemployed to 2,311,499, the lowest figure for this month since 2007. Meanwhile, Social Security gained an average of 41,727 contributors, meaning it exceeded an average of 22.5 million members for the first time.
As explained by the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, “the change in registered unemployment in July is atypical and is due to several factors”. Among these is the fact that “this month is becoming less sensitive to seasonality”.
By economic sector, unemployment rose in Services by 8,221 people, Construction by 2,433 and among those with no previous employment by 8,268. It varied slightly in Industry by 473 people and in Agriculture by 122.
“The increase among those who were previously unemployed is primarily linked to the ongoing extraordinary regularisation process, which provides the previously unfeasible opportunity for workers who were already in our country but lacked rights to access the services of public employment offices,” the Ministry stated.
By autonomous community, there were decreases in absolute terms in Andalusia (9,661 people), Extremadura (767 people) and Cantabria (250 people). Conversely, among the largest increases, Catalonia stands out, with a rise of 7,705 people, followed by the Valencian Community with 7,021 and the Community of Madrid with 3,822 people.
With regard to recruitment, the total number of registered contracts stood at 1,587,141. Of these, 617,211 were permanent contracts, accounting for 38.89% of all contracts, and 969,930 were fixed-term contracts.
Finally, regarding benefits, at the end of June, there were 1,724,237 beneficiaries. The coverage of the social protection system in June stood at 80.96 per cent. This is the highest figure for the month of June in the historical record.
The average monthly expenditure per beneficiary, excluding the agricultural subsidy for Andalusia and Extremadura, in June 2026 was €1,147.9. Total expenditure in June amounted to €1,942.1 million.
Membership
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration reports that a record high in membership has once again been recorded. Specifically, in July the average number of members stood at 22,508,065 people.
By scheme, the General Scheme added 40,016 average contributors, bringing the total to 18.96 million employed people, whilst the Self-Employed Scheme (RETA) lost 103 contributors, bringing the total number of self-employed contributors to 3,472,357 people.
By sector, Health and Social Care saw the biggest increase, with 57,446 more members. This was followed by Retail with 50,100 new contributors, Hospitality with 23,999, and Domestic Services, which added 5,156 employed persons. In contrast, Education lost 124,506 contributors. Furthermore, the Special Agricultural Scheme saw a decrease of 40,605 contributors.
It adds that foreign nationals, “as a whole, now account for 15.6 per cent of the total number of contributors and continue to play an essential role in the dynamism of the labour market and in sustaining the Social Security system”.
By autonomous community, average enrolment rose by 11 in July, mainly in Catalonia with 16,529 new employees, the Balearic Islands with 15,843 and Galicia with 12,916. Conversely, it fell in six: Andalusia (6,948), Aragon (1,263), the Canary Islands (3,293), the Community of Madrid (25,808), the Basque Country (2,386) and La Rioja (982).
Finally, the ratio of contributors to pensioners stands at 2.5, which is the highest level since 2011.
