{"version":1,"asset_type":"statistical_series","data_type":"time_series","slug":"es-employment-rate","url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/es-employment-rate","html_url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/es-employment-rate/","title":"Spain Employment Rate (2024)","description":"Spain's Employment Rate: 71.4 % of population (20–64) in 2024, +0.9pp YoY. Eurostat (LFSA_ERGAN), 2005–2024.","domain":"labor","category":"Labour & Employment","keywords":["Labour & Employment","Eurostat","European Union","2024"],"publisher":"Eurostat","frequency":"Annual","geography":"Spain","temporal_coverage":"2005/2024","unit":"% of population (20–64)","last_updated":"2026-04-14","last_updated_text":"14 April 2026","data_as_of":"2024","variable_measured":"Spain Employment Rate","license":"https://apiardata.com/data-license","is_accessible_for_free":true,"sources":[{"name":"Eurostat","url":"https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/LFSA_ERGAN/default/table"}],"meta":[{"label":"Frequency","value":"Annual"},{"label":"Coverage","value":"2005–2024"},{"label":"Observations","value":"20"},{"label":"Geography","value":"Spain"},{"label":"Last updated","value":"14 April 2026"}],"kpis":[{"label":"Spain (2024)","value":"71.4","unit":"% of population (20–64)","trend":{"direction":"up","value":"+0.9pp YoY"}},{"label":"YoY Change","value":"+0.9pp","unit":"percentage points"},{"label":"Trend","value":"up","unit":""},{"label":"Series length","value":"20","unit":"years of data"}],"series":[{"key":"value","label":"Spain Employment Rate"}],"observation_count":20,"observations":[{"period":"2005","value":67.5},{"period":"2006","value":69},{"period":"2007","value":69.7},{"period":"2008","value":68.5},{"period":"2009","value":64},{"period":"2010","value":62.8},{"period":"2011","value":62},{"period":"2012","value":59.6},{"period":"2013","value":58.6},{"period":"2014","value":59.9},{"period":"2015","value":62},{"period":"2016","value":63.9},{"period":"2017","value":65.5},{"period":"2018","value":67},{"period":"2019","value":68},{"period":"2020","value":65.7},{"period":"2021","value":67.5},{"period":"2022","value":69.3},{"period":"2023","value":70.5},{"period":"2024","value":71.4}],"table":{"columns":[{"key":"year","label":"Year"},{"key":"value","label":"% of population (20–64)"},{"key":"yoyChange","label":"YoY Change"}],"rows":[{"year":"2024","value":"71.4","yoyChange":"+0.9pp"},{"year":"2023","value":"70.5","yoyChange":"+1.2pp"},{"year":"2022","value":"69.3","yoyChange":"+1.8pp"},{"year":"2021","value":"67.5","yoyChange":"+1.8pp"},{"year":"2020","value":"65.7","yoyChange":"-2.3pp"},{"year":"2019","value":"68.0","yoyChange":"+1.0pp"},{"year":"2018","value":"67.0","yoyChange":"+1.5pp"},{"year":"2017","value":"65.5","yoyChange":"+1.6pp"},{"year":"2016","value":"63.9","yoyChange":"+1.9pp"},{"year":"2015","value":"62.0","yoyChange":"+2.1pp"},{"year":"2014","value":"59.9","yoyChange":"+1.3pp"},{"year":"2013","value":"58.6","yoyChange":"-1.0pp"},{"year":"2012","value":"59.6","yoyChange":"-2.4pp"},{"year":"2011","value":"62.0","yoyChange":"-0.8pp"},{"year":"2010","value":"62.8","yoyChange":"-1.2pp"},{"year":"2009","value":"64.0","yoyChange":"-4.5pp"},{"year":"2008","value":"68.5","yoyChange":"-1.2pp"},{"year":"2007","value":"69.7","yoyChange":"+0.7pp"},{"year":"2006","value":"69.0","yoyChange":"+1.5pp"},{"year":"2005","value":"67.5","yoyChange":"n/a"}]},"qa":[{"question":"What does the Spain employment rate measure?","answer":"Eurostat's Spain employment rate measures the share of persons aged 20–64 in employment — covering employees and self-employed persons, full-time and part-time — compiled annually from the EU Labour Force Survey (dataset LFSA_ERGAN). At 71.4% in 2024, the series is at a historical high but remains below France (75.1%), Italy (67.1% — lower, driven by inactivity), Germany (81.3%), and the EU's 2030 target of 78%. Spain's rate reflects the combined effect of its historically high unemployment and structurally lower participation rates among certain demographic groups."},{"question":"How has Spain's employment rate recovered from the 2013 trough?","answer":"Spain's employment rate collapsed from around 69% in 2008 to a trough of 58.6% in 2013 — one of the sharpest employment rate declines in any developed economy in the post-war era, driven by the bursting of the construction bubble and the subsequent public-sector austerity programme. The recovery to 71.4% by 2024 — an 11-year, 12.8pp improvement — required both cyclical recovery and structural labour market reform. The 2021 Reforma Laboral conversion of temporary to permanent contracts stabilised employment relationships, reducing the frequency of employment exits and improving measured employment rates. Post-2021, Spain has added employment at the fastest pace since pre-crisis, supported by strong services and tourism demand."},{"question":"Is Spain on track to meet the EU 2030 employment rate target of 78%?","answer":"At 71.4% in 2024, Spain needs 6.6 percentage points of additional improvement to reach 78% by 2030. At the current pace of improvement (+0.9pp in 2024), Spain would reach 78% approximately in 2031 — just missing the EU target. To accelerate to target, Spain would need sustained GDP growth (currently 2.8%), continued labour market reform, improved female participation (structurally lower than in northern Europe), and employment absorption of the 10.5% who remain unemployed. The 2021 labour reform has accelerated the pace of employment rate improvement versus the pre-reform trend, raising the probability of nearing the 78% threshold by 2030."},{"question":"What does Spain's rising employment rate mean for labour costs and margin analysis?","answer":"Spain's employment rate recovering from historic lows implies that the labour slack that kept Spanish wages compressed through the 2014–2019 recovery is gradually being absorbed. Wage growth in Spain has accelerated since 2022 — minimum wage increases (Salario Mínimo Interprofesional was raised 54% between 2018 and 2024), sector-level collective bargaining settlements, and declining unemployment have all contributed. For companies with significant Spanish headcount, labour cost inflation is now running above headline HICP — a structural shift from the wage deflation of the 2013–2019 period. This has particular implications for labour-intensive sectors (hospitality, retail, logistics) where Spanish margins have historically benefited from labour cost suppression."}]}