Spain's Q2 2026 Labour Market Hits Record Employment as Unemployment Falls Below 10 %

Spain employment record unemployment 9.87% EPA immigrant labour

The second‑quarter 2026 Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA) showed Spain’s labour market reaching a historic high of 22.779 million employed people, while the unemployment rate dropped to 9.87 % – the first time it has fallen below 10 % since 2008. 486 000 jobs were added in the April‑June period, bringing the total active population to a record 25.27 million.

Immigrants played a major role, supplying 133 300 of the 272 700 newly active workers, roughly half of the growth. Regional data highlighted stark contrasts: Granada posted the highest provincial unemployment at 17.53 %, while Tarragona recorded the highest rate in Catalonia at 10.16 % despite a recent decline. Cádiz remained among the provinces with the highest unemployment at 17.34 %. Castilla‑La Mancha reached a regional record of 962 100 occupied persons, its lowest unemployment rate in 18 years at 11.81 %.

The share of temporary contracts continued to fall, with only 15 % of salaried workers on temporary terms, reflecting a shift toward more stable employment.

Entities

Alicante · Andorra Government · Antonio Maíllo · Carlos Cuerpo · Catalonia · Gemma Domènech · Generalitat de Catalunya · Granada (province) · Granada province · Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) · JovEmpren · Mas Piteu residential centre

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Sevilla lost 4,900 jobs in industry and construction, raising its unemployment rate to 13.01% in Q2 2026. www.diariodesevilla.es
[○ 1 SOURCE] Segovia posted a 10.21% unemployment rate in Q2 2026, the highest in Castilla y León. segoviaudaz.es
[○ 1 SOURCE] Castilla‑La Mancha's unemployment rate was 7.76% in Q2 2026, with 128,800 unemployed and 962,100 employed. www.clm24.es
[○ 1 SOURCE] Tarragona's unemployment rate fell to 10.16% in Q2 2026, a 2.5‑point drop from the previous quarter. www.diaridetarragona.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Tarragona remains the Catalan province with the highest unemployment rate. www.diaridetarragona.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Soria's unemployment rate fell to 6.3% in Q2 2026, after a 30% decline to 2,800 unemployed. www.heraldodiariodesoria.es
[○ 1 SOURCE] Castilla‑La Mancha recorded a historic high of 962,100 employed, the highest ever, and an unemployment rate of 11.81%, the lowest in the last 18 years. www.lacerca.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Unemployment benefits in León fell 2.7% to 12,794 recipients in June 2026. www.infobierzo.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Granada’s unemployment rate was 17.53 % in the second quarter of 2026, the highest in Spain. cge.es
[○ 1 SOURCE] Immigrants accounted for 133 300 of the 272 700 people who entered the labour force in Q2 2026, roughly half of all new active workers. www.elmundo.es
[○ 1 SOURCE] Tarragona’s unemployment rate fell to 10.16 % in Q2 2026, the lowest in Catalonia but still the region’s highest rate. www.diaridetarragona.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Cádiz’s unemployment rate fell to 17.34 % in Q2 2026, the second‑highest provincial rate in Spain. www.cadizdirecto.com