Unemployment falls by more than 5% in the Balearic Islands

Social Security affiliation reaches 491,750 workers, despite the usual decline after Christmas

A worker in the center of Manacor
ARA Balears
03/02/2026
2 min

PalmRegistered unemployment at public employment offices in the Balearic Islands fell by 1,260 people in January compared to the previous month (-4.3%) and by 1,515 people compared to the first month of last year (-5.13%). Thus, the archipelago begins the year slightly above 28,000 unemployed (28,045), according to data published this Tuesday by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy. At the beginning of the year, the sectors with the most unemployed are services (21,219, down 1,104 from December) and construction (3,088, down 93), while the sectors with the fewest unemployed are agriculture (353, up 12) and industry (1,200).

Regarding gender, of the 28,045 unemployed registered in January, 15,842 were women and 12,203 were men. Unemployment among young people under 25 years of age stood at 3,769, of whom 2,104 were men and 1,665 were women.

In the last month of the year, unemployment among foreigners stood at 6,617, after falling by 7.88% compared to December and by 0.93% compared to the previous year.

In January, 20,013 contracts were registered in the Balearic Islands, 6.5% fewer than the previous year. Of these, 13,188 were permanent contracts (-5.86%) and 6,825 were temporary contracts (-7.72%).

Balearic Islands Nears Half a Million Social Security Affiliates

The Balearic Islands registered 491,750 Social Security affiliates in January, 8,560 fewer than the previous month (-1.71%), according to data released this Tuesday by the Ministry of Labor.

Year-on-year, affiliation in the Autonomous Community has increased by 10,882 workers compared to January 2015, a 2.26% increase.

Across Spain, the labor market has grown by almost 480,000 Social Security affiliates in the last 12 months, specifically 477,818 affiliates in the original series, reaching a total of 21,573,632. This represents a 2.3% year-on-year increase and the highest level for a January in the entire series. Specifically, in the Balearic Islands, the general Social Security system has 388,974 contributors, of whom 7,827 are registered as domestic workers and 2,228 as agricultural workers. In addition, there are 100,987 people registered as self-employed and 1,790 as maritime workers. Furthermore, at the beginning of the year, 138 workers in the Balearic archipelago were on temporary layoff schemes (ERTEs), 68 women and 60 men.

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