Spain labor data shows high rate of short-term contracts

Data from the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) reveals that in July, approximately 19.4% of signed contracts lasted seven days or less. Specifically, 308,861 contracts had a duration of one week or fewer, while 82,741 lasted between seven and 15 days.

Overall, 50.4% of all contracts signed in July lasted three months or less, and 33.3% had a duration of one month or less. The average duration of labor contracts in July was 45.83 days, marking one of the lowest averages for this month in the last 20 years. This trend of an average duration around 45 days has persisted for five consecutive years since 2022.

This pattern persists despite the 2021 labor reform, which aimed to prioritize indefinite contracts and introduced financial penalties for very short-term contracts. Currently, employers must pay an additional contribution of 33.62 euros upon the termination of temporary contracts lasting less than 30 days.