Andalucía unemployment rises again but stays below last year

In October, registered unemployment in Andalucía rose by 2,052 people, or 0.38%, to 539,041. The Labour Ministry released the figures on 4 November 2026. It was the second monthly rise in a row. Compared with October 2025, the register had 63,221 fewer people, down 10.5%.

These figures count people on public job office lists, not everyone without work. They differ from the EPA survey, which estimates joblessness, and Social Security figures, which count contributors. In Spain as a whole, the register rose by 43,128 in October, the biggest rise for that month since 2020.

Where the rise came from

Services added 1,319 people to Andalucía’s register, while the group with no earlier job added 1,841. The total fell in construction by 583, in farming by 381 and in industry by 144. At the end of October, 372,690 people were listed in services and 65,945 in the group with no earlier job. The totals were 44,412 in construction, 28,954 in industry and 27,040 in farming.

Unemployment rose in six provinces. Málaga had the largest rise, 1,062, followed by Cádiz with 975 and Granada with 649. Almería rose by 228, Jaén by 65 and Huelva by 61. Córdoba fell by 583 and Sevilla by 405. Women made up 328,459 of the registered total, while 210,582 were men.

Jobs and other measures

Employers registered 301,426 contracts in October, 1.96% more than a year earlier. Of these, 125,671 were permanent and 175,755 were temporary. Contracts count agreements, not people.

Social Security affiliation in Andalucía gained 46,405 people in October, up 1.30% on September, to 3,629,332. It was up by 135,555, or 3.88%, on the same month last year. Affiliation fell only in Cádiz, by 3,893 people, or 0.87%; it rose in the other seven provinces.

At national level, Social Security affiliation rose by 186,612 to a record average of 22,624,165. Expansión linked the gain in part to schools hiring staff for the full year and to more migrant workers after an April regularisation. These are affiliation figures, not registered unemployment.

Separate September data showed 1,763,649 people receiving benefits, with coverage at 80.82%. The average monthly benefit was €1,233.90, up €13.60 on a year earlier. The Labour Ministry said the rise in unemployment was not alarming and that many people move into work soon.

Source: Canal Sur, elDiario.es, Expansión and El Mundo.