Overview
- Social Security affiliation reached 21.84 million at year-end, up by 506,451 over 2025, marking a fifth straight year of net job creation.
- Registered unemployment decreased by 152,048 over the year to about 2.40 million, with a December decline of 16,291.
- December delivered 19,000 additional affiliates, a slower gain than the roughly 35,000 a year earlier and below recent Decembers.
- The Community of Madrid counted 3,882,343 affiliates versus 3,874,736 in Catalonia, the first year-end lead on record, while December jobless totals rose by 1,860 in Catalonia and fell by 12,200 in Andalusia.
- Hiring was broad-based, led by health (+69,547), transport (+61,209), education (+50,335) and construction (+45,716), while foreign workers contributed about 41% of new affiliates (204,659).