Economically Active Population Survey. Q2/2023

The employed population in Catalonia grew by 3.8% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2023 and stood at 3,654,000 people. In absolute numbers, the year-over-year increase is 133,000 people. In relation to the first quarter of 2023, there was an increase of 132,700 people employed (3.8%).

In terms of the year-over-year evolution of employment by sector, employment increased in the service sector (186,300 people; 7.1%), while the number of people employed decreased in construction (−24,800 people; −10.6%), industry (−16,400 people; −2.7%) and agriculture (−12,100 people; −22.1%). Compared to the previous quarter, there was growth in the number of people employed in the service sector (132,900 people; 5.0%) and construction (13,300 people; 6.8%), while it decreased in industry (−13,000 people; −2,1%) and agriculture (−500 people; &minbus;1.1%).

By sex, in year-over-year terms, employment grew more among women (5.2%) than men (2.5%). By age, the most intense growth in employment compared to the previous year occurred among the population aged 55 and over (10.5%), followed by the 16 to 24-year-olds (6.3%) and the 25 to 54-year-olds (1.8%). Compared to the previous quarter, the employed population aged 16 to 24 increased by 9.7%, the group aged 55 and over increased by 3.3% and those aged 25 to 54 increased by 3.3%.

By type of working day, in year-over-year terms, full-time employment grew (4.7%), while part-time employment decreased (−2.2%). Among the employed salaried population by type of contract, indefinite contracts grew by 7.9%, while temporary contracts decreased by 16.9%.

The unemployment rate stood at 8.44%, with a total of 336,800 unemployed people (23,700 less than the previous year, a decrease of 6.6%). By sex, women's unemployment decreased by 16.0% year-over-year (with an unemployment rate of 8.35%) and men's unemployment increased by 4.0% (with a rate of 8.52%). By age, there was a notable decrease in unemployment in the population between 16 and 24 years old (-26.2%), followed by the 25 to 54 range (-3.6%). By contrast, the unemployed population aged 55 and over increased (13.2%).

With regard to specific sectors, the employed population working in the cultural sector stood at 180,600 people (4.9% of total employment), and decreased by 8.8% year-over-year and increased by 8.2% quarter-over-quarter. By sex, the cultural sector employed 99,000 men and 81,600 women.

In the tourism sector, the employed population was 487,300 people, accounting for 13.3% of total employment. This figure represents an increase of 13.8% compared to the first quarter of 2023 and an increase of 13.8% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. By sex, this sector employed 270,600 men and 216,700 women.

The ICT sector employed 129,200 people in the second quarter of 2023 (14.7% more than a year ago and 5.7% more than the previous quarter) and represents 3.5% of total employment.