Overview
- Official October data show Social Security affiliation reached about 22.62 million after a monthly gain of 186,612 contributors, the largest October increase on record.
- The extraordinary migrant regularization is visible in the registers with roughly 490,586 people now contributing under permits from the process and about 63,900 foreign-born new affiliates in October, roughly one third of the monthly gain.
- Registered unemployment rose by about 43,128 in October to roughly 2.42–2.4 million as some newly regularized people first signed up as jobseekers and seasonal patterns increased unemployment in services.
- Regional and sectoral trends diverged: the Community of Madrid added the most net affiliates (+58,128), Catalunya recorded its strongest October and consolidated about four million employed, education added about 166,000 jobs while hospitality lost roughly 45,000.
- Other notable shifts include a record 3.5 million self‑employed (about 18,000 new autónomos in October) and rising pressure on public employment services and fiscal receipts as informal workers move into formal contributions.