Unemployment fell in Lleida by 460 people during May, leaving the total number of registered job seekers in employment offices at 14,900. The monthly decrease was 2.99%, the most significant of the four Catalan provinces, ahead of Tarragona, Girona, and Barcelona.
The improvement coexists with a territorial paradox. Although Lleida led the drop in unemployment in May, the regions of Ponent and l'Alt Pirineu i Aran registered the most moderate year-on-year reduction in Catalonia at the same time, in a labor market heavily influenced by the seasonal boost of the agricultural campaign.
Affiliation rose by 7,552 people, exceeding 219,000 contributors
Social Security affiliation grew by 7,552 people compared to April, reaching 219,654 workers in the province. The monthly increase was 3.56%.
Compared to May 2025, Lleida added 6,485 more affiliates, a 3.04% increase. Data from the Ministry of Labor indicate a favorable evolution of employment, with a particular impact from agricultural activity at the start of the campaign.
Also in year-on-year terms, unemployment was reduced by 522 people. The number of unemployed fell by 3.38% compared to the same month of the previous year, although that rate was the most moderate in Catalonia for Ponent and l'Alt Pirineu i Aran.
Services accounted for the largest decrease, and the agricultural campaign boosted temporary contracts
By sectors, the drop in unemployment affected all areas of activity. Services accounted for the largest decrease with 299 fewer unemployed, followed by agriculture with 61, construction with 36, industry with 29, and the group with no previous occupation with 35.
During May, 14,838 contracts were signed in the province, 27.99% more than in April. Of this total, 6,548 were permanent and 8,290 were temporary.
The increase in temporary hiring is linked to the rise in labor demand due to the start of the agricultural campaign. Temporary contracts exceeded permanent ones by 1,742 hires in a month marked by the need to cover tasks related to the field.
In Catalonia as a whole, Lleida led the monthly reduction in unemployment with that 2.99%, while Tarragona registered 2.59%, Girona 2.51%, and Barcelona 2.04%. This figure places the province at the forefront of the May decrease, even though its year-on-year improvement advanced at a slower pace than in other territories.
The Ministry of Labor recorded 14,838 labor contracts in May in Lleida, with 6,548 permanent and 8,290 temporary.