The Social Security lost on average in August 162,840 affiliates compared to July (-0.72%) due to the usual seasonal effect linked to the end of the summer campaign and the interruption of activities such as education and part of the industry. After this adjustment, the average number of contributors stood at 22,345,226 workers, according to what the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration communicated this Wednesday.
The impact of the extraordinary regularization process of immigrants, which has incorporated almost 340,000 new contributors until the end of August, has allowed the drop in average affiliation to be the most moderate in an August since 2021, when it decreased by 118,004 people. Thus, it improves the declines recorded in August 2025 (-199,300 affiliates), 2024 (-193,704), and 2023 (-185,385).
Between August 2025 and August 2026, Social Security has added 679,023 affiliates in average values, representing a year-on-year increase of 3.13%, the highest rate in an August since 2021. Compared to 2018, average affiliation has accumulated an increase of over 3.5 million employed.
The department led by Elma Saiz emphasizes the dynamism of employment in the last eight years. During this period, the number of employed people aged 55 or older has increased by 51.5%, nearing 5 million, and those under 30 years old have increased by 33.4%, reaching 3.79 million, well above the average growth of the system (+18.6%).
In seasonally adjusted terms, the number of contributors rose in August by 83,844 people (+0.38%), placing the series at a new maximum of 22,371,964 affiliates. With this monthly advance, the seasonally adjusted affiliation has recorded 67 consecutive months of increases, that is, more than five and a half years of uninterrupted growth.
"The month of August leaves us with historic employment growth, as we see in the seasonally adjusted series and in the original compared year-on-year. We have been adding affiliates month by month in the seasonally adjusted series for more than five and a half years; our labor market enjoys very good health," highlighted the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, Elma Saiz.
The minister has also focused on the contribution of foreign workers, whose average affiliation is close to 3.55 million. "At the end of August, there are almost 340,000 foreign affiliates in high status coming from the extraordinary regularization process," Saiz added.
The regularization adds almost 340,000 new contributors
In the framework of this extraordinary process of regularization of foreign individuals, Social Security registered as of August 31 a total of 337,917 affiliated individuals linked to this measure.
By nationalities, Colombia leads the new registrations, with 97,376 contributors, followed by Venezuela, with 66,733 affiliates, so both countries concentrate practically half of the total regularized.
Regarding the classification, 79.8% of these workers (269,627 people) were integrated into the General Regime, while 16,912 contributors, 5%, registered as self-employed in the RETA.
By gender, 60.2% of the new affiliates from the regularization were men (203,418) and 39.8% women (134,499).
Education leads the declines in affiliation
By regimes, the General lost in August 159,484 average affiliates (-0.84%), bringing the total to 18,808,084 employed, although in the last twelve months it adds 614,891 more contributors (+3.38%).
The Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers (RETA) closed the month with 3,469,416 average affiliates, after subtracting 2,941 employed (-0.08%), although in the year-on-year balance it incorporates 63,705 self-employed workers (+1.87%).
Within the General Regime, the education sector was the one that destroyed the most jobs compared to July due to the summer slowdown, with 76,535 fewer contributors (-6.4%). Following were administrative activities (-18,083 affiliates, -1.2%), manufacturing industry (-16,417 contributors, -0.8%), construction (-12,653 employed, -1.2%) and commerce (-10,180 affiliates, -0.4%).
On the contrary, health and social services activities added 17,811 average affiliates (+0.86%) and hospitality added 7,237 employed (+0.42%).
Decline in affiliation among men and women and advance of foreigners
The monthly decline in affiliation affected men more intensely, who lost 99,980 contributors in August (-0.84%), bringing the total to 11,855,884 employed.
Among women, affiliation decreased by 62,860 workers (-0.60%), leaving the total number of female contributors at 10,489,342.
In year-on-year terms, male affiliation has grown by 357,837 people (+3.11%) and adds almost 1.7 million additional employed since 2018 (+16.3%). Female affiliation, for its part, has increased by 321,186 workers compared to August 2025 (+3.16%) and by 1,842,220 women since 2018 (+21.3%). Currently, women represent 47% of the total affiliates.
In contrast to the general decline, foreign workers gained 39,535 affiliates compared to July (+1.13%), reaching an average of 3,551,759 employed.
When compared to August 2025, the affiliation of immigrants has increased by 482,490 contributors (+15.72%) and already accounts for 15.9% of the entire system.
By age groups and in relation to 2018, affiliation among those over 55 years old has increased by 51.5%, nearing 5 million employed, while among those under 30 years old it has grown by 33.4%, reaching 3,790,266 workers.
Temporary employment decreases to 13.4% and improves job quality
In terms of job quality, since August 2021 there are 4,811,840 more employed with permanent contracts and 2,020,332 fewer affiliates with temporary contracts.
The most intense advance in the last year is concentrated in full-time permanent contracts, with 328,670 additional contributors compared to August 2025, while part-time fixed contracts increased by 78,383 affiliates.
The temporary employment rate has been reduced to 13.4%, well below the 29.3% recorded in August 2021.
Among workers under 30 years old, the percentage of temporary employment has decreased to 23.7%, compared to 54.9% five years ago.
Social Security also specifies that the ratio between contributors and pensioners currently stands at 2.5, the highest level since 2011.
Six communities gain affiliates and ERTEs remain contained
The average affiliation only increased in August in six autonomous communities compared to July, with the largest advances in Asturias (+2,138 employed), Canary Islands (+2,153), and Extremadura (+818).
In the remaining eleven communities, declines occurred, led by Catalonia (-59,529 employed), the Community of Madrid (-36,422), and the Valencian Community (-22,256).
At the end of August, the number of workers in temporary employment regulation files (ERTE) stood at 12,214 people, with a monthly average of 11,922 affected. Of them, 368 were in a force majeure ERTE, 1,191 in an ERTE for economic, technical, organizational, or production causes (ETOP), and 8 in the RED mechanism for automotive.