The Spanish labor market continues to show signs of stability and growth, despite the usual drop in employment after the Christmas season. According to data from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, in January 2025 Social Security added 35,000 affiliates in seasonally adjusted terms, reaching a total of 21,399,165 contributors.
This data, adjusted to eliminate seasonal fluctuations and calendar effects, reflects a positive trend in the evolution of employment in Spain. However, when looking at the raw data, without seasonal corrections, the picture is different: enrollment fell by 242,148 persons in January. This decline is a recurrent phenomenon in the first month of the year, as many temporary contracts linked to the Christmas campaign come to an end.
Despite this monthly drop, the year-on-year comparison remains positive. Compared to January 2024, the total number of affiliates has grown by 491,053 people, representing an increase of 2.35%. This indicates that, although January is a month of employment adjustments, the overall trend continues to point to a stronger labor market.
On the other hand, registered unemployment increased by 38,725 people in January, bringing the total number of unemployed to 2,599,443. However, this increase is lower than in other years, suggesting a better resilience of employment to seasonality.
In sectoral terms, the areas most affected by the reduction in employment were commerce and hotels and restaurants, where most of the temporary contracts for the Christmas campaign are concentrated. However, sectors such as construction and industry maintained more stable figures, reflecting less volatility in these areas.
In conclusion, although January has seen the usual fall in Social Security enrolment and an upturn in unemployment, the adjusted data and the year-on-year comparison show that the labor market in Spain continues to strengthen. The positive trend in Social Security enrolment and the moderation in unemployment suggest that employment continues to develop favorably in the long term.
