The Labour Force Survey (EPA) for the second quarter of 2026 confirms that unemployment continues to fall. The unemployment rate stood at 9.87%, nearly a percentage point lower than in the previous quarter (-0.96 points) and its lowest level since 2008. The number of unemployed people fell by 213,300, down to 2,495,300: a decline of 0.37% in seasonally adjusted terms and by 57,800 people over the past year.
Employment is also advancing. During the quarter, 486,000 jobs were created, reaching a total of 22,779,000 employed people, with an increase of 510,200 over the last twelve months. Meanwhile, the active population grew by 272,700 people, reaching 25,274,300.
“Unemployment dropping below 10% is good news, but it cannot lead us to lower our guard. We still have two and a half million people without a job, and a large part of the growth currently celebrated by the Government relies on the summer season, not on a real transformation of our productive model,” declared Joaquín Pérez, General Secretary of USO.
