Data from the Ministry of Labor reveals that unemployment in Castellón decreased by 1.18% compared to February, bringing the total number of job seekers to 31,419. This improvement breaks the negative trend of the first months of the year and occurs amidst geopolitical tensions, such as the start of the attack on Iran, which has impacted energy and supply costs.

The services sector was the main driver of this reduction, accounting for 293 of the 375 unemployment decreases. However, industry and construction also contributed positively, with reductions of 41 and 52 unemployed individuals respectively. Agriculture saw a decrease of 6 unemployed people.

Year-on-year, the drop in unemployment in Castellón is even more significant, with 2,020 fewer people out of work, representing a 6.04% decrease. This positive dynamic is also reflected in Social Security affiliation, which reached a record high of 264,722 workers in the province.

The Comunitat Valenciana as a whole also experienced significant growth, adding 21,832 affiliates and reaching 2,263,853 contributors. At the national level, Social Security gained an average of 211,510 contributors in March, primarily driven by the hospitality sector, with nearly 80,000 new hires in anticipation of Easter Week celebrations.

This increase in employment in March is the largest recorded in a March month throughout the historical series, placing the average number of affiliates at a record high of 21,882,147 contributors. From March 16 to March 30, daily affiliation remained above 21.9 million people. In the last year, from March 2025 to March 2026, Social Security has added 524,501 affiliates, with a year-on-year growth of 2.4%.