Economically Active Population Survey. Q4/2025

The employed population in Catalonia grew by 1.5% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2025 and stood at 3,913,200 people. In absolute numbers, the year-over-year increase was 57,300 people. Compared with the third quarter of 2025, employed population decreased by 0.9% (−37,300 people).

By sector, in year-over-year terms, it grew in all economic sectors.The growth was led by industry (21,100 people; 3.3%), followed by construction (19,100 people; 7.9%), services (12,700 people; 0.4%) and agriculture (4,500 people; 9.8%). Compared to the previous quarter, the employed population grew in construction (7,800 people; 3.1%) and decreased in services (−23,100 people; −0.8%), in industry (−15,300 people; −2.3%) and in agriculture (−6,700 people; −11.8%).

By sex, in year-on-year terms, employment grew among women by 3.3% and remained stable among men. Compared to the third quarter of the year, employment fot men decreased by 1.4% and for women by 0.4%. By age, the strongest growth in employment compared to the previous year was among the population aged 55 and over (5.4%), a group that grew by 2.2% compared to the previous quarter. The employed population aged 16 to 24 increased by 4.7% year over year and decreased by 9.6% compared to the third quarter of 2025. Finally, the employed population aged 25 to 54 grew by 0.1% year over year and decreased by 0.8% quarter over quarter.

By type of working day, in year-over-year terms, full-time employment grew (3.2%) and part-time employment fell (−8.8%). Among the employees by type of contract, temporary contracts rose by 2.6% and permanent contracts by 1.2%.

The unemployment rate stood at 8.24% with a total of 351,200 unemployed people (21,900 more people than the previous year, with an increase of 6.6%). By sex, unemployment for men grew by 19.9% year over year (with an unemployment rate of 8.19%) and that for women decreased by 5.0% (with a rate of 8.28%). In relation to the previous quarter, the unemployed population decreased slightly (−900 people; −0.3%).

Regarding specific sectors, the employed population in the cultural sector stood at 211,300 people (5.4% of total employment) and increased by 9.1% year over year and 1.9% quarter over quarter. By sex, the culture sector employed 131,700 men and 79,600 women.

In the tourism sector, the employed population amounted for 486,200 people, representing 12.4% of total employment. This figure represents a decrease of 1.8% compared to the third quarter of 2025 and decrease of 10.5% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. By sex, this sector employed 284,500 men and 201,800 women.

The ICT sector employed 193,500 people in the fourth quarter of 2025 (20.6% more than a year ago and 12.4% more than the previous quarter) and accounted for 4.9% of total employment.