In March 2023, Spain recorded a robust increase in employment, with the Social Security system adding 161,491 new members.

This marks a peak of 21,357,646 workers, making it the highest number for this month since records began, and the third-best March overall.

The total number of affiliated workers is the most significant since July 2022, when numbers exceeded 21.38 million.

Meanwhile, the number of registered unemployed also saw a substantial decrease, declining by 13,311 to reach 2,580,138.

This figure represents the lowest level of unemployment for March in 17 years, specifically since 2008.

The hospitality sector emerged as a key driver in job creation, accounting for over 40% of the new affiliations with 61,477 average members and a 4.41% increase.

Job growth was also evident across various sectors, with positive developments noted in transportation and education, among others.

In seasonally adjusted terms, March alone saw the addition of 23,079 new jobs, bringing total Social Security affiliations close to 21.5 million, an increase of 460,148 compared to the same period last year.

However, seasonally adjusted unemployment saw a slight increase of 983 individuals.

This year's March results did not benefit from typical Easter hiring trends, as it occurred later in April, and were also impacted by adverse weather conditions.

The overall employment landscape showed an increase in the General Regime, which gained 147,317 affiliates, totaling 17,907,180, while the Self-Employed Regime added 12,102, bringing the total for self-employed workers to 3,389,248.

The tourism sector remained a significant contributor to employment growth, notably in recreational and entertainment activities, which recorded a 1.5% increase with 4,997 new affiliates.

Employment also grew in the transportation sector by 8,939 (+1%) and in education by 14,369 (+1.1%).

Based on industries, the service sector accounted for the entire decrease in unemployment, with a total of 14,461 fewer unemployed individuals, and declines also observed in industry, construction, and agriculture.

Notably, women benefitted predominantly from the job growth, with 92,681 new positions filled by females, representing nearly six out of ten new jobs.

The total number of women affiliated with the Social Security reached a record 10,117,058, which constitutes 47.4% of the total workforce.

Men registered an increase in employment as well, gaining 68,811 affiliates.

Job growth was pronounced in older and younger demographics, with individuals aged 55 and above showing a 24.3% increase and those under 30 a 30.2% increase since labor reform initiatives were enacted three years ago.

The overall employment growth across various age groups averaged 12.9%.

In terms of unemployment, the female reduction accounted for much of the decline, with 9,176 women exiting the unemployment registers, while men saw 4,135 fewer unemployed.

Youth unemployment, particularly among individuals under 25, rose by 2,638, bringing the total to 197,524, which is the lowest number recorded for the month of March historically.

Regional employment figures highlighted that the Balearic Islands led job creation with 28,931 new positions, an increase of nearly 6% compared to February, while Catalonia reported the most substantial overall increase with 30,196 new jobs.

The most significant decrease in unemployment was similarly in the Balearics, with a reduction of 1.83%, while the largest numerical decline was recorded in the Valencian Community, with 4,905 fewer unemployed.

Nationally, there were 1,166,601 contracts executed in March, marking an increase of 43,113 compared to the same month the previous year; of these, 508,662 were permanent contracts, approximately 44% of the total contracts.

This led to a near-total of 14.9 million individuals holding permanent contracts, with more than 9.86 million working full-time.

However, fixed-discontinuous contracts remained stable at just 4.8% of total affiliations, while temporary workers constituted 11.9%, significantly below the 29.5% average prior to recent labor reforms.

Additionally, in February, the government reported an expenditure of 2.185 billion euros on unemployment benefits, serving 1,722,042 individuals, with an average monthly spending per beneficiary reaching 1,014.5 euros.

These statistics accompany the monthly unemployment data, reinforcing the ongoing trends in the labor market.