Economically Active Population Survey. Q1/2025

The employed population in Catalonia grew by 1.8% year over year in the first quarter of 2025 and stood at 3,850,100 people. In absolute numbers, the year-over-year increase was 66,300 people. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, there was a decrease of 5,900 employed people (−0.2%).

By sector, comparing employment in year-over-year terms, the employed population grew in services (57,100 people; 2.0%) and construction (13,500 people; 6.0%), while it decreased in industry (−3,700 people; −0.6%) and agriculture (−500 people; −1.0%). Compared to the previous quarter, the employed population grew in services (10,700 people; 0.4%) and agriculture (200 people; 0.4%), while it decreased in industry (−13,500 people; −2.1%) and construction (−3,200 people; −1.3%).

By sex, in year-over-year terms, employment grew more intensely among women (2.6%) than among men (1.0%). By age, the most intense growth in employment compared to the previous year was ocurred among the population aged 55 and over (3.0%), a group that decreased by 1.8% compared to the previous quarter. The employed population aged 25 to 54 increased by 1.8% year over year and 0.8% quarter over quarter. Finally, the employed population aged 16 to 24 decreased by 1.7% year over year and 4.8% quarter over quarter.

By type of working day in year-over-year terms, full-time employment grew 3.1%), while part-time employment decreased (−6.1%). Among the employed salaried population by type of contract, indefinitive contracts grew by 1.3%, while temporary contracts decreased by 0.6%.

The unemployment rate stood at 8.91%, with a total of 376,400 unemployed people (19,700 less than the previous year; with a decrease of 5.0%). By sex, unemployment among women increased by 1.0% year over year (with a rate of 10.16%) and that among men decreased by 11.2% (with an unemployment rate of 7.77%). By age, the decrease in the unemployed population aged 55 or over (−24.5%) stood out, followed by the population aged 16 to 24 (−16.2%). On the other hand, the unemployed population aged 25 to 54 (5.5%) increased.

Regarding specific sectors, the population employed in the cultural sector stood at 197,200 people (5.1% of total employment) and increased by 4.8% year-over-year and 1.8% quarter-over-quarter. By sex, the culture sector employed 114,700 men and 82,500 women.

In the tourism sector, the employed population was 506.600 people, representing 13.2% of total employment. This figure represents a decrease of 6.8% compared to the fourth quarter of 2024 and decrease of 5.8% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. By sex, this sector employed 290,500 men and 216,100 women.

The ICT sector employed 168,300 people in the first quarter of 2025 (11.6% more than a year ago and 4.9% more than the previous quarter) and accounted for 4.4% of total employment.