Economically Active Population Survey. Q1/2024
The employed populationin Catalonia grew by 5.4% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2024 and stood at 3,783,800 people. In absolute numbers, the year-over-year increase was equivalent to 192,200 people. In relation to the fourth quarter of 2023, there was a decrease of 17,000 employed people (−0.4%).
In terms of the year-over-year evolution of employment by sector, the employed population grew in services (173,500 people; 6.4%), in construction (14,800 people; 7.0%) and in industry (4,700 people; 0, 7%), while it decreased in agriculture (−800 people; −1.8%). Compared with the previous quarter, the employed population grew in industry (8,300 people; 1.3%), it remained almost stable in the service sector (900 people; 0.0%), while it decreased in construction (−15,700 people;−6.5%) and in agriculture (−10,500 people; −18.6%).
By sex, in year-over-year terms, employment grew more among men (6.8%) than women (3.7%). By age, the most intense growth in employment compared to the previous year was among the population aged 16 to 24 (11.3%), a group that decreased by 2.1% compared to the previous quarter. The employed population aged 55 and over grew by 6.0% year-over-year and 0.9% quarter-on-quarter. Finally, the employed population aged 25 to 54 grew 4.6% year-over-year and decreased 0.6% quarter-over-quarter.
By type of working day in year-over-year terms, both full-time (2.7%) and part-time (24.4%) employment grew. Among the employed salaried population by type of contract, indefinite contracts grew by 10.8% while temporary contracts decreased by 11.2%.
The unemployment rate stood at 9.48%, with a total of 396,100 unemployed people (32,400 less than the previous year; a decrease of 7.6%). By sex, women's unemployment decreased by 5.1% year-over-year (with an unemployment rate of 10.31%) and that of men decreased by 10.0% (with a rate of 8.74%). By age , the decrease in unemployment in the 25 to 54 age group stood out (−16.3%). By contrast, the unemployed population aged 16 to 24 (10.3%) and those aged 55 and over (7.5%) increased.
Regarding specific sectors, the population employed in the cultural sector stood at 188,100 people (5.0% of total employment) and increased by 6.4% year-over-year and remained stable quarter-over-quarter. By sex, the culture sector employed 118,600 men and 69,600 women.
In the tourism sector, the employed population was 538,800 people, representing 14.2% of total employment. This figure represents a decrease of 7.6% compared to the fourth quarter of 2023 and increase of 20.2% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. By sex, this sector employed 306,300 men and 231,600 women.
The ICT sector employed 150,900 people in the first quarter of 2024 (23.8% more than a year ago and 11.6% more than the previous quarter) and accounted for 4.0% of total employment.
Idescat also publishes the data from the revised series of the Economically Active Population Survey for the period 2021-2023, with the new reference populations derived from the Population and Housing Census 2021. All the results of the specific base of the EPA (quarterly, annual and sub-sample) and the blocks of related indicators have been revised. It should be borne in mind that in the case of the UN Sustainable Development Goals indicators, the data for Spain will be revised when the INE does so, while in the case of the EU Sustainable Development Goals indicators, the data for Spain and the European Union will be revised when Eurostat does so.
In order to analyse the effects of the change of population base in the new EPA estimates, Idescat publishes a comparison Economically Active Population Survey. Review of the 2021-2023 series of the main aggregates according to the populations based on the population and housing censuses of 2011 (now outdated) and 2021.