Economically Active Population Survey. Q3/2023

The employed population in Catalonia grew by 4.4% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2023 and stood at 3,716,400 people. In absolute numbers, the year-over-year increase is 156,500 people. In relation to the second quarter of 2023, there was an increase of 62,400 people employed (1.7%).

In terms of the year-over-year evolution of employment by sector, employment increased in the service sector (135,200 people; 5.0%) and industry (30,400 people; 5.0%), while the number of people employed decreased in agriculture (−6,000 people; −11.5%) and construction (−3,100 people; −1.4%). Compared to the previous quarter, there was growth in the number of people employed in all sector: industry (− 33,500 people; 5.6%), service (19,900 people; 0.7%), construction (6,100 people; 2.9%) and agriculture (2,800 people; 6.6%).

By sex, in year-over-year terms, employment grew more among women (5.8%) than men (3.1%). By age, the most intense growth in employment compared to the previous year occurred among the population aged 55 and over (9.7%), followed by the 16 to 24-year-olds (7.1%) and the 25 to 54-year-olds (2.7%). Compared to the previous quarter, the employed population aged 16 to 24 increased by 7.4%, the group aged 55 and over increased by 3.0% and those aged 25 to 54 increased by 0.8%.

By type of working day, in year-over-year terms, part-time employment grew by 8.6% and full -time employment grew by 3.9%. Among the employed salaried population by type of contract, indefinite contracts grew by 9.5%, while temporary contracts decreased by 12.8%.

The unemployment rate stood at 8.50%, with a total of 345,400 unemployed people (19,800 less than the previous year, a decrease of 5.4%). By sex, women's unemployment decreased by 7.8% year-over-year (with an unemployment rate of 8.95%) and men's unemployment decreased by 2.8% (with a rate of 8.09%). By age, there was a notable decrease in unemployment in the population between 16 and 24 years old (−19.6%), followed by the 25 to 54 range (−9.2%).

With regard to specific sectors, the employed population working in the cultural sector stood at 180,800 people (4.9% of total employment), and decreased by 2.3% year-over-year and increased by 0.1% quarter-over-quarter. By sex, the cultural sector employed 105,700 men and 75,100 women.

In the tourism sector, the employed population was 513,800 people, accounting for 13.8% of total employment. This figure represents an increase of 5.4% compared to the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 6.3% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. By sex, this sector employed 299,600 men and 214,200 women.

The ICT sector employed 124,700 people in the third quarter of 2023 (3.2% more than a year ago and 3.5% less than the previous quarter) and represents 3.4% of total employment.