Overview
- Registered unemployment fell by 152,048 in 2025 to 2,408,670, the lowest year-end level since 2007, as total Social Security affiliates reached a record 21.84 million.
- Roughly 41% of the new affiliates—about 204,000 to 205,000 people—were foreign-born, underscoring migration’s central role in job creation.
- Employment growth was concentrated in health, transport and education, with construction also advancing and higher value-added areas such as professional and information services posting notable gains.
- December added about 19,000 affiliates—below recent years’ December increases—and the monthly drop in registered joblessness (-16,291) was the weakest for a December since 2020.
- Regional dynamics were uneven: Madrid edged past Catalonia in total affiliates, the Valencian Community led employment growth, Castilla-La Mancha posted the sharpest unemployment decline (~8.6%), and the Basque Country recorded a slight annual rise.