Spain loses 162,840 jobs in August as migrant regularisation cushions decline

Seasonal contraction and annual gains

Spain recorded a reduction of 162,840 Social Security affiliates in August 2026, a 0.72% decline from July that brought total average contributors to 22,345,226. Concurrently, registered unemployment at the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) rose by 44,419 people, reaching 2,355,918. Despite this monthly increase, total joblessness remained at its lowest August level since 2007, reflecting an annual decrease of 70,593 individuals. Compared to August 2025, Social Security affiliation grew by 679,023 workers (+3.13%), marking the fastest year-on-year August expansion rate since 2021. In seasonally adjusted terms, contributor counts rose by 83,844 to 22,371,964, extending an uninterrupted monthly growth sequence to 67 consecutive months. The monthly affiliate drop was smaller than in August 2025 (-199,300), August 2024 (-193,704), and August 2023 (-185,385).

Impact of migrant regularisation

Employment losses were dampened by an extraordinary regularisation process for foreign residents. The administrative phase, conducted between 16 April and 30 June 2026, contributed 337,917 formal workers to Social Security by the end of August. The registered cohort included 203,400 men and 134,500 women, with nearly half coming from Colombia and Venezuela. Foreign affiliation reached 3,551,759 in August, up 39,535 from July and 482,490 higher than August 2025. Foreign workers now represent 15.9% of registered contributors in Spain, compared to 13.6% two years earlier. Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Minister Elma Saiz evaluated the data in a ministry release.

Almost 340,000 registered contributors this month come from the extraordinary regularization process of foreign persons.

The influx also influenced the unemployment rolls, as newly regularised individuals without previous formal contracts signed up for work, pushing the group of job seekers without prior employment up 9.2% year-on-year.

Sectoral losses and contract expirations

Education recorded the largest sector decline, losing 76,535 affiliates (a 6.5% monthly drop) due to the termination of school contracts during the summer recess. Administrative and auxiliary services shed 18,083 positions, while scientific and technical activities decreased by nearly 17,000 workers. In contrast, hospitality recorded a gain of 7,237 contributors, representing a 0.4% monthly increase. Job turnover concentrated heavily at the end of the month, with 275,807 contracts ending on 31 August alone.

Regional differences and demographic shifts

Catalonia experienced the steepest drop among regions, losing 59,529 affiliates to 3.96 million and adding 14,594 unemployed people to reach 329,468. Andalusia lost 11,956 contributors to 3.58 million, while its registered jobless total grew by 3,334 to 530,256. Andalusia absorbed 44,291 of Spain's regularised foreign workers (13% of the national total), while self-employed registrations in the region dropped by 474. Ceuta was the only territory where unemployment fell, declining by 148 people. Across long-term metrics since 2018, total system contributors have grown by over 3.5 million (+18.6%), driven by a 51.5% increase among workers aged 55 and older to nearly 5 million, and a 33.4% rise among workers under 30 to 3.79 million.