Malaga Region fourth best in Spain when it comes to job creation

Malaga was one of Spain’s best performers for job creation in 2025, with a strong increase in employment. According to data from the Social Security systemThe average number of Social Security contributors in December was 738,958, a record high. This is an increase of 24,713 compared to December the previous year.

This is a growth of 3.46 percent year-on-year, the fourth-highest in SpainMelilla is the only city in Andalucia to be behind Valencia, Ceuta or Melilla. Malaga outperformed the regional average in Andalucia of 2.3%, while the national number was 2.37 percent. Malaga, in absolute terms, ranked fourth nationally and first in Andalusia for new affiliations. It was behind Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

Malaga’s overall performance remains impressive, despite seasonal declines that are typical for the tourism-driven economy. Malaga experienced a steep drop in employment of over 7,000 during November, and a further 3,942 jobs were lost in December. Malaga is now ranked second for the number of monthly declines nationally behind the Balearic Islands. The strong growth in the first eight month of the year compensated more than enough for the slowdown during the low season. The number of new jobs created in 2025 was slightly higher than the 23,000 positions added in 2024.

Unemployment is also known as unemployment continued its downward trendAlthough at a slower speed. The number of unemployed people registered fell by 9,199 in the past year. This figure ended December at 109.875, which is the lowest since 2007. It’s also the province’s lowest total since 2008. Malaga was ranked fourth in the country for its largest reduction of unemployment. It was behind Valencia, Seville and Cadiz. A drop in unemployment of 962 people in December, due mainly to the Christmas hiring of retail staff and hospitality workers, ended a three-month streak of consecutive increases. This began after summer’s tourist peak.

In December, the services sector (which includes many young workers) and agriculture accounted for most (855 fewer jobless). Construction and Industry, however, experienced slight increases. The Malaga unemployed are predominantly women (66,131 vs.43,744 men), and they tend to be tied to the services sector, where almost 80,000 of 110,000 job-seekers last worked.

Stakeholders gave nuanced comments. The Confederation of Malaga Employers highlighted the province’s success In consolidating employment through gradual deseasonalisation of tourism and the strength in construction.

Malaga has made great strides in creating jobs, but the goal of having less than 100,000 unemployed people is still out of reach.