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Diario PYME

Unemployment in Lleida falls to lowest levels since 2008 with 14,900 jobless

The province records its best May figure in 16 years, driven by the service and agricultural sectors, and gains 7,552 social security affiliates.

Generic image of an economic graph with an urban landscape in the background.
IA

Generic image of an economic graph with an urban landscape in the background.

The province of Lleida closed May with 14,900 people registered as unemployed, the lowest figure since September 2008, marking a decrease of 460 people compared to April.

Data from the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy indicates a reduction of 460 unemployed individuals (-2.99%) compared to the previous month and 522 (-3.38%) compared to May of last year. This cumulative decrease over three consecutive months places the province at its best statistics since September 2008. Lleida stands out as the Catalan province that most reduced unemployment percentage-wise compared to the previous month, and ninth nationally, although its year-on-year evolution was the worst in Catalonia.
Women continue to represent the majority of job seekers, accounting for 59.62% of the total, a proportion similar to the previous year. Regarding young people, 1,360 individuals under 25 were seeking employment in May, representing 9.13% of the total. The group of unemployed foreigners stood at 4,036 people, 126 fewer than a year ago, making up 27.09% of job applicants.
By sectors, services accounted for the majority of unemployed individuals with 9,804, followed by industry (1,362), agriculture (1,059), and construction (988). A total of 1,687 people had no previous employment. The service sector also led the monthly (-299) and annual (-428) reduction in unemployment, while agriculture saw a decrease of 61 unemployed people monthly and 79 annually.
In parallel with the reduction in unemployment, the province of Lleida experienced a notable increase in job creation. 7,552 social security affiliates were gained compared to April, a 3.56% increase that brings the total number of employed individuals to 219,654. This figure also represents an annual increase of 3.04%, with 6,485 more affiliates than in May 2025. Of these, 183,170 contributed to the general system, including 13,179 in the special agricultural regime, and 36,483 under the self-employed regime.
At the Catalonia level, the labor market reached a new historic employment high, nearing 4 million affiliates with 3.97 million employees in May. This signifies an increase of 50,034 people compared to April, the largest monthly jump since 2012, and 89,882 more than the previous year. Unemployment in Catalonia fell to 307,627, 6,900 fewer than in April, the lowest figure since May 2008. In Spain, affiliation surpassed 22.3 million for the first time.

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