Employment records its best September in history, adding 92,327 registered workers over the last month and 739,888 compared to a year ago

In total, there are 22,437,553 registered workers in the original series, an increase of 3.57 million compared to September 2018.

Total System. Unadjusted series (original).

When adjusted for seasonality and calendar effects, the figures also show a historic milestone: the labour market added 108,832 registered workers, reaching a total of 22,480,796. This marks the 68th consecutive month of growth and the highest level in the series.

The Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, states: "We have surpassed the figure of more than 22.5 million registered workers in the daily series at the midpoint of the month, which serves as a good indicator of the consistency of job creation. Since the beginning of the year, we have been breaking records month after month." And she adds: "In fact, on 28 September, daily registration figures reached their highest level, with 22,576,593 registered workers; there have never been so many people working in Spain."

The trend in foreign registered workers is particularly dynamic; indeed, they now account for more than 16.2% of all registered workers in Spain. On average, the Social Security system has surpassed the 3.6 million mark for workers from other countries for the first time, reaching a specific total of 3,635,979. This represents an increase of 84,220 compared to August and 547,637 compared to a year ago.

Registrations through the regularisation process

A snapshot of the labour market as of 30 September shows that the number of foreign workers registered through the extraordinary regularisation process stood at 421,306 - an increase of 83,389 compared to the last day of August.

By country of origin, Colombia accounts for the highest number of registered workers from the regularisation process (118,485), followed by Venezuela (71,999). These two countries account for nearly half of the total at 30 September.

Registered workers from the regularisation process. System Total (% of total as of 30/09/2026)

Of these 421,306, 77.4% (326,256) were covered under the General Social Security Scheme, while 22,681 (5.4%) were self-employed workers (excluding SETA). Furthermore, in terms of gender, 60.2% were men (253,490) and 39.8% were women (167,815).

Registered workers from the regularization process. System Total (% of total as at 30/09/2026)

Average affiliation by activity sector

In terms of total registered workers by sector, the activity that has seen the most growth over the past year - combining affiliates from the General Social Security Scheme and the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers-is Construction (+6.9%). This is followed by: Real Estate Activities (+5.9%); Arts, Entertainment and Recreation (+5.3%); and Publishing, Broadcasting and Content Production and Distribution (+4.6%).

Compared to August, the Education sector saw a particularly notable increase, adding 63,499 registered workers (+5.2% month-on-month change).

Within the General Social Security Scheme, average registration numbers showed year-on-year growth of 3.67% (668,945). This figure was significantly exceeded in sectors such as Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Fishing (+8.6%); Construction (+8.1%); and Arts, Entertainment and Recreation (+5.2%), among others.

Over 3.48 million self-employed workers

Registration under the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers saw a year-on-year increase of nearly 2.1%, with the highest growth rates recorded in: Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning Supply (+15.6%); Telecommunications, Computer Programming, Consultancy and IT Infrastructure (+14.3%); Real Estate Activities (+9%); and Publishing, Broadcasting and Content Production and Distribution (+8.4%).

In total, the number of self-employed workers stands at 3,483,645 - an increase of 70,353 compared to a year ago and 229,975 compared to September 2018.

(RETA+SETA). Unadjusted data.

Nearly 1.9 million more women registered in the system than in 2018

Female employment surpassed the 10.5 million mark this month, reaching 10,580,201 employed women. This represents an increase of 345,574 workers compared to a year ago and 1,881,872 compared to 2018. Female employment has grown by 21.6% since 2018, while male employment has grown by 16.7%. "These figures are extraordinary news, as they mean we are moving closer to true parity in labour market participation between men and women", explains Minister Elma Saiz.

Women account for 47.2% of the total, up one percentage point from 2018. Their presence in the labour market is growing at a year-on-year rate of 3.38%. At the same time, male employment has also reached a record high, with 11,857,352 registered workers - an increase of 394,314 over the past year and nearly 1.7 million since 2018.

Registered workers by gender. Total System. Unadjusted data. Base 100 = September 2021.

Record employment levels for young people and those over 55

An analysis of employment trends over the last eight years reveals significant growth among the under-30 demographic and workers aged 55 and older. So much so that employment among the youngest demographic has grown by 34.1% since 2021, while among older workers it has risen by 29.2%. These figures represent 19.2 and 14.3 percentage points, respectively, above the overall average, which stands at 14.9%.

Registered workers by age. Total system. Unadjusted data. Base 100 = September 2018.

Stability and quality of employment

Since September 2021, there has been a major transformation in the types of labour contracts in the job market: there are 4,859,884 more workers with permanent contracts and 2,047,451 fewer registered workers with temporary contracts.

There is a growing number of stable jobs offering better rights and higher wages. The largest increase is seen among workers with full-time permanent contracts - an increase of 338,317 compared to a year ago - while the number of registered workers with part-time contracts has risen by 90,770.

Temporary workers now represent 12.5% of the workforce, down from 28.4% in September 2021. This improvement is even more notable among registered workers under the age of 30, whose temporary employment rate is 23.7%, compared to 54.9% five years ago.

Lastly, this month the ratio of contributors to pensioners reached 2.51, the highest level since 2011.

Non official translation