Unemployment has rebounded strongly in Catalunya during the first quarter of 2026 and has once again stood above 10% for the first time in three years. The rate reaches 10.12% and the number of unemployed people rises to 435,600, according to the Active Population Survey published by the INE.
The deterioration of the labor market is also noticeable in employment. In comparison with the last quarter of 2025, Catalunya loses 46,200 jobs, a setback that reduces the total number of employed people from more than 3.9 million to around 3.86 million.
Tarragona continues with the highest rate of Catalunya
The province of Tarragona maintains the worst unemployment data of the Catalan whole, although it registers a slight improvement. The rate drops from 12.87% to 12.6% in the first quarter of 2026. Despite that decrease, it continues to be the territory with the highest unemployment in Catalunya.
The behavior in the rest of the demarcations has been uneven. In Girona, the unemployment rate rises to 12.5%. In Barcelona it increases to 9.66%. In Lleida it stands at 7.3%, with an increase that practically doubles its indicator.
The largest quarterly increase since 2009
In Catalonia as a whole, unemployment grows by 24% compared to the previous quarter. This is the largest quarterly increase since 2009, a figure that reflects the worsening recorded at the start of the year.
The year-on-year comparison also shows a negative evolution. In relation to the same period of the previous year, the number of unemployed people increases by 15.7% in Catalunya.
With this scenario, Tarragona continues to lead the unemployment rate in Catalunya, while the Catalan labor market starts 2026 with less employment and with a volume of unemployment that once again exceeds the 10% threshold.