Top Stories

In Spain

paro empleo

In Spain 3rd February 2026

Labour market sheds 270,800 jobs in January, worst figure since 2012, while unemployment rises by 30,400

As it does every year, January brought significant job destruction and an increase in unemployment. It was a difficult month for the labour market; following the end of the Christmas season and lacking other sectors to drive hiring, the drop of 270,800 social security affiliates in 2026 is notably high—the largest since 2012. On the other hand, registered unemployment increased by 30,400 people, which is actually a lower figure than…

Closed

Spanish economy 2nd February 2026

77% of companies created this century no longer exist

Four out of every ten companies created in 2019—the year prior to the pandemic—failed to endure and were forced to close their doors. This percentage is still far from the “bloodbath” of the Great Recession: 73% of those set up in 2007, the year before the first major crisis of the 21st century, have disappeared. This is according to the latest report by Iberinform, which confirms that “business survival in…

YolandaDiaz

In Spain 30th January 2026

Government and Unions bypass employers to agree on 3.1% Minimum Wage hike to €1,221

The Ministry of Labor and the UGT and CCOO trade unions reached an agreement this Thursday to increase the Interprofessional Minimum Wage (SMI) by 3.1%, bringing it to €1,221 across fourteen payments, exempt from personal income tax (IRPF). With this latest revaluation, the minimum wage has seen a cumulative increase of 66% since 2018. For the sixth consecutive year, the minimum wage increase will not have the backing of all…

spain teleworking

In Spain 29th January 2026

Spanish government launches 35-hour working week for State Public Employees

While doctors are notifying the Ministry of Health of strikes and mobilizations due to—amongst other issues—mandatory 24-hour shifts, the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Civil Service, led by Oscar López, has informed the CCOO and UGT unions that it is initiating the procedure to implement a 35-hour workweek within the General State Administration. This move aims to fulfill the commitments signed in the “Framework Agreement for the 21st Century Administration.”…

unemployment office

In Spain 28th January 2026

Spanish Unemployment Drops Below Double Digits to 9.93%

According to the Labor Force Survey (EPA), released by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the number of employed persons in Spain increased by 76,200 in Q4 2025 compared to the previous quarter, reaching a total of 22,463,300 people. In seasonally adjusted terms, the quarterly variation rate for Q4 2025 was 0.90%, while employment grew by 605,400 people year-on-year. Simultaneously, during the quarter under review, unemployment fell by 136,100 people, totalling…

Government

In Spain, Relevant News Item 28th January 2026

That Determination to Sow Discord

J.A. | “Becoming legal in Spain: five months… An appointment with the dermatologist: 16 months.” Spanish social media was flooded with messages of this kind upon learning how the Government approved—via Royal Decree-Law, meaning without the need for Parliamentary approval—a regularization process that could benefit more than half a million undocumented immigrants (out of an estimated 840,000 currently in Spain). It will be enough to prove residency in Spain prior…

morocco inmigration

In Spain 27th January 2026

Government to regularise 500,000 immigrants without going through Parliament

Pedro Sánchez has reached an agreement with Podemos—the party still led from behind the scenes by Pablo Iglesias, which supported his investiture with four seats—to regularize immigrants who can prove their residency in Spain prior to the end of 2025 and who do not have a criminal record. For five years, Congress had been processing a Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) backed by over 700,000 signatures to proceed with a regularization….

spain country risk

In Spain 26th January 2026

FEDEA Estimates Undeclared Income in Spain at €112 Billion

FEDEA (the Foundation for Applied Economic Studies) has today published a study by Jaime Vallés and Anabel Zárate (University of Zaragoza) quantifying the tax gap, defined as undeclared income in the Personal Income Tax (IRPF) across the 15 Common Regime autonomous communities between 2003 and 2022. The results show a sustained improvement in aggregate tax compliance throughout the analyzed period. In the early 2000s, declared income represented around 70-75% of…

crear empresas

In Spain 23rd January 2026

Business confidence rises in Spain by 0.1% ahead of Q1 2026 and compared to Q4 2025, three out of five sectors analysed improve

Link Securities | According to the Business Confidence Indicators (ICE) published by the National Statistics Institute (INE), business confidence in Spain rose by 0.1% in Q1 2026 compared to Q4 2025. In addition, three of the five sectors analysed showed an increase in confidence compared to the previous quarter. Industry shows the largest increase in confidence (1.7%), while Transport and hospitality records the largest decline (a drop of 2.2%). It…

Elena Guede

In Spain 23rd January 2026

“European industry feels vulnerable because it cannot compete on a level playing field”

Elena Guede, board member at Tubacex and Celsa, explains in Consejeros magazine that: “At this moment, there are two distinct models. In Europe, we have a model that regulates everything related to climate ambition. It starts with greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, extends them throughout the value chain, sets objectives, defines highly rigorous and demanding reporting, and establishes border carbon footprint mechanisms, etc. This forces the European industrial environment to…