Overview
- Social Security affiliation reached 21.84 million at year-end, while registered unemployment fell by 152,048 to about 2.41 million, the lowest December level since 2007.
- December delivered a softer finish with roughly 19,000 new affiliates, and employers’ and unions’ statements flagged signs of a cooling labor market heading into 2026.
- Job creation concentrated in health, transport and storage, education and construction, with additional gains in higher value-added fields such as professional services and information and communications.
- Regional patterns shifted as the Community of Madrid edged past Catalonia as the top employer, employment rose in all regions, and unemployment declined everywhere except the Basque Country.
- The Valencian Community posted the fastest employment growth rate, and Castilla-La Mancha led the annual percentage drop in unemployment, underscoring uneven but broadly positive territorial dynamics.