Monthly Estimate of the Economically Active Population. 01/2005-03/2026

Idescat expands the experimental statistics section with the Monthly Estimate of the Economically Active Population, in line with the standards of the European Statistical System. These statistics aim to provide monthly estimates of the main labour market aggregates in Catalonia and the related rates.

The results of this estimate indicate that the unemployed population would stand at 350.4 thousand people in March this year, a figure that represents a decrease of 1.3% compared to February and of 7.8% compared to March 2025. This value places the unemployment rate for March at 8.2%.

The employed population would stand at 3,931.6 thousand people in March, a figure that represents a monthly increase of 0.7% and a year-over-year increase of 1.4%. The estimated employment rate for March is 56.5%.

The active population would stand at 4,282 thousand people in March, a figure that represents a monthly increase of 0.5% and a year-over-year increase of 0.6%. This value places the activity rate at 61.5% in March.

The estimates for January, February and March 2026 from these experimental statistics released today allow for an advance calculation of the main results of the Economically Active Population Survey in Catalonia for the first quarter of 2026. Thus, the unemployed population in this quarter (around 353 thousand people) would represent a year-over-year decrease of over 6% and an unemployment rate of around 8.3%. The employed population would slightly exceed 3.9 million people, representing a year-over-year increase of close to 1.4% and an employment rate slightly above 56%.

The Monthly Estimate of the Economically Active Population is part of experimental statistics. The results published are provisional, may be subject to revision and improvement, and are not considered official statistics.