The number of unemployed registered in the public employment service offices increased by 19,517 people during the month of July compared to June (+0.85%), according to data released this Tuesday by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy. The department attributes this "atypical" rise to a lower sensitivity to seasonal patterns and a reduction in the average declines following the labor reform.
After this increase, the total number of unemployed people reaches 2,311,499, the lowest level in a month of July since 2007, although it means returning to above the threshold of 2.3 million unemployed, a level that had been breached in June for the first time in 18 years.
The rise in registered unemployment in July is, moreover, the highest since July 2008, when, in the midst of the financial crisis, unemployment rose by more than 36,400 people. Since then, and setting aside the current year, unemployment had only increased once in a month of July, in 2022, with a rise of 3,230 unemployed.
Since the beginning of the comparable historical series in 1996, unemployment has decreased 26 times in July and has only increased five times (2005, 2007, 2008, 2022, and 2026). The largest decline occurred in July 2021, after the Covid-19 crisis, when it decreased by 197,841 people. In July of last year, unemployment fell by 1,357 people, the most moderate cut since 2002.
If the figures are analyzed in seasonally adjusted terms, registered unemployment increased by 18,249 people in July.
In the count of the last twelve months, unemployment has accumulated a decrease of 93,107 people, which corresponds to a decline of 3.87%. During this period, female unemployment has decreased by 63,967 women (-4.38%) and male unemployment by 29,140 men (-3.08%).
Construction leads the rise in unemployment
By sectors of activity and compared to June, registered unemployment increases in services by 8,221 people (+0.50%), in construction by 2,433 (+1.53%), in industry by 473 (+0.27%), and in agriculture by 122 (+0.17%).
The group without previous employment, largely made up of young people seeking their first job, also registers an increase in unemployment, with 8,268 more people (+3.65%). In July of last year, this group had reduced its figures by 3,315 unemployed (-1.45%).
The unemployment grew in July both among men and women, although with greater intensity in the male case. Unemployment among men increased by 11,810 people (+1.31%) compared to June, while among women it rose by 7,707 (+0.56%).
At the end of July 2026, the total number of unemployed men stands at 915,483, while the number of women reaches 1,396,016 unemployed, after the previous month fell for the first time since August 2008 below the threshold of 1.4 million.
Youth unemployment marks a new historical low
By age groups, unemployment among people aged 25 or older increased by 19,755 unemployed (+0.93%) in July, while among those under 25 it decreased by 238 (-0.15%).
As a result, the total number of unemployed young people under 25 registers a new historical low, with 159,562 unemployed.
Only Andalusia, Cantabria, and Extremadura cut unemployment
By autonomous communities, registered unemployment increased in July in practically all the territory, with the exception of Andalusia, Cantabria, Extremadura, and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.
Specifically, the number of unemployed decreased by 9,661 people in Andalusia (-1.8%), by 250 in Cantabria (-0.94%), by 767 in Extremadura (-1.27%), by 129 in Ceuta (-1.51%), and by 175 in Melilla (-2.37%).
In the rest of the communities, increases were recorded, led by Catalonia, where unemployment grew by 7,705 people (+2.51%); the Valencian Community, with 7,021 more unemployed (+2.49%), and the Community of Madrid, with 3,822 additional unemployed (+1.42%).
By provinces, unemployment decreased in 13, led by Cádiz (-3,479), Sevilla (-1,618), and Málaga (-1,580), and increased in the other 39. Notable increases were seen in Barcelona (5,941), Valencia (4,509), and Madrid (3,822).
Registered unemployment among foreign workers increased by 15,535 people compared to June (+4.54%), reaching 357,621 unemployed, which represents 30,959 more unemployed than a year earlier (+9.48%).
38.89% of contracts signed in July were permanent
In July, 1,587,141 contracts were formalized, 0.12% less than in the same month of 2025. Of these, 617,211 were permanent, 1.19% more than in July of the previous year.
Thus, 38.89% of the contracts signed in July were permanent, a proportion slightly higher than that of the same month in 2025, when they represented 38.39%, although 2.52 points below the rate recorded in June.
Within indefinite hiring, in July 250,540 full-time contracts were signed, 7.91% more than a year before; 150,201 part-time (-4.67%) and 216,470 fixed discontinuous (-1.71%).
Regarding temporary contracts, 969,930 were signed in July, 0.93% less than in the same month of 2025, which represents 61.1% of the total hiring in the seventh month of 2026.
Between January and July, more than 9.4 million contracts have been formalized, 4.18% more than in the same period of 2025. Of these, 3.9 million have been indefinite (+5.71%) and 5.44 million temporary (+3.09%).
Unemployment benefits spending on the rise
The Ministry also details that spending on unemployment benefits reached in June (the last month with available data) 1,942.1 million euros, 4.9% more than in the same month of the previous year.
The average monthly spending per beneficiary, excluding the agricultural subsidy of Andalusia and Extremadura, stood in June 2026 at 1,147.9 euros, which is 36.3 euros more than a year before (+3.3%).
The average gross amount of the contributory benefit received by beneficiaries was in June 2026 1,011.1 euros, with a year-on-year increase of 20.2 euros (+2%).
The number of beneficiaries at the end of June stood at 1,724,237, above the 1,700,238 of the same month of the previous year.
The coverage rate against unemployment reached in June 2026 80.96%, compared to 75.67% in June 2025, which implies an increase of 7%.
Benefit statistics are always published with a one-month lag regarding unemployment figures, so this Tuesday the unemployment data for July has been released along with the benefit information corresponding to June.
Interactive graph: monthly evolution of unemployment
Interactive graph: This is how unemployment has evolved in Spain. Monthly evolution of registered unemployment in Spain.
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