He Spanish labor market ended the year 2024 with a historical fact: the lowest unemployment figure recorded since 2007 y a total of 21.3 million Social Security contributors. In December, unemployment decreased by 25,300 people, consolidating a sustained reduction trend and marking a highlight in the economic recovery after the challenges of the pandemic. The Spanish labor market has demonstrated significant dynamism in 2024, with the creation of almost 500,000 more jobs compared to the previous year. In terms of affiliation, December closed with 21,337,962 average Social Security affiliates, a year-on-year increase of 2.41%.
Over the last four years, 2.3 million jobs have been createda figure that reflects the cumulative impact of measures such as the labor reform and policies to promote youth and female employment. Although December is usually a month of lower growth due to the end of Christmas hiring, the monthly figure of 35,499 new contributors exceeds expectations and doubles the interannual rate of November, from 2.4% to 5.4%.
Unemployment closed the year with 2,560,718 people registeredwhich represents a reduction of 5.42% year-on-year and 1.15% compared to the previous month. Although The drop in December was smaller than in other years previous results, continues to mark a significant decrease in the number of unemployed, consolidating a positive trend since 2011, with the exception of the impact of the pandemic in 2020.
By sectors, unemployment decreased mainly in services (-1.15%) and agriculture (-2.36%), although it increased in construction (+2.26%) and industry (+0.44%). These figures reflect the seasonal dynamics of the market and the structural challenges that still persist in certain sectors.
One of the key points in the analysis of the labor market in 2024 is the increase in permanent contractspromoted by the 2022 labor reform. According to the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, 3.7 million more indefinite contracts have been signed since the implementation of this measure, reaching a total of 14.7 million.
The temporary employment rate, which has historically been a problem in Spain, fell to 12.8%, one point less than at the end of 2023. This change reflects a progress towards job stabilityone of the key objectives of the government.
He Female employment reached record figures in 2024, with more than 10.1 million women affiliated to Social Security, representing 47.4% of the total. As for young people, membership among those under 30 years of age grew by 20.5% since the labor reform, doubling the national average of 9.3%.
Job creation among foreign population also showed a notable boost, with 2.9 million contributors, which represents 13.5% of the total affiliates. These figures reinforce the perception that the Spanish labor market is diversifying and adapting to new dynamics.
The number of self-employed workers registered its highest level since records existed, with 3,399,170 workers self-employed in December 2024. The professional, scientific and technical activities sector led the growth, with 21,553 new registrations in the last year. Regarding sectors, agriculture, livestock and fishing registered a notable increase with 27,567 new workers, followed by the services sector (+25,000). However, industry and construction suffered declines, with 6,000 and 9,000 fewer jobs, respectively, reflecting pending challenges in these segments of the labor market.
By 2025, the government has set the goal of consolidating employment growth, further improving the quality of contracts and continuing to reduce unemployment, especially among the most vulnerable groups.
