March sees record employment of 3.8 million in Catalonia

Catalonia's labor market surpassed 3.8 million registered workers in March, after the creation of 30,196 new jobs (+0.80% on February), according to Spain's Ministry of Inclusion and Social Security. 

It marks the highest employment figures for the month of March on record. 

Employment rose for the second consecutive month, reaching the 3.8 million mark for the fifth time. 

There were 75,732 more people in employment than during March 2024 (+2.03%). Last year Easter fell during March while this year it falls during April.  

Registered unemployment also decreased for the second consecutive month, dropping by 2,556 people (-0.76%), to a total of 331,765. 

This is a 3.67% decrease in the number of unemployed compared to last year (-12,624), and represents the lowest unemployment level in 17 years. 

The total number of people registered with the Social Security system as working in Catalonia was 3,806,813, a monthly increase of 0.8%. 

The increase of 30,196 registered workers is slightly below the 32,548 recorded the previous year, when March coincided with the Easter holidays. 

The total number of Social Security affiliates had only exceeded 3.8 million on four other occasions, all in 2024: May (3.81 million), June (3.83 million), July (3.84 million), and October (3.80 million). 

The growth in the number of registered workers in recent years has made further increases more challenging. 

Employment grew by 2.03% year-on-year in March, the lowest rate in 9 years, since 2016, excluding 2020 and 2021, which were heavily affected by the pandemic. 

Spain 

In Spain, the total number of workers registered with Social Security reached 21.36 million, an increase of 161,492 compared to February (+0.76%) and 455,679 more than in last March (+2.2%). 

Over the past year, the sectors that have seen the most significant increase in employment include transport (+7.2%), agriculture, livestock, and fishing (+4.6%), artistic and entertainment activities (+4.5%), and education (+4%).