Record Employment Surge: April 2026 Sees Over 223,000 New Affiliates, Driven by Hospitality Sector

In April 2026, the labor market recorded an impressive addition of 223,685 new affiliates, surpassing a significant milestone of 221 million total contributors for the first time. This remarkable growth was largely driven by the hospitality sector, which alone contributed 111,335 new jobs, fueled by the seasonal boost from Holy Week, according to the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration. This increase marks the third-largest rise for April since records began, further establishing the need for analysis of current trends. Daily affiliation remained consistently above 222 million between April 27 and 29, indicating a healthy employment landscape. The drop in unemployment was equally noteworthy; reported unemployment decreased by 62,668 individuals in April, bringing the total number down to 2,357,044. This is the first time the count has fallen below 2.4 million since June 2008. From April 2025 to April 2026, Social Security gained an impressive average of 517,192 affiliates, representing a year-on-year growth of 2.4%. In seasonally adjusted terms, there was a monthly uptick of 41,753 affiliates, maneuvering the system towards stabilizing over 22 million employed individuals with a total of 22,052,285 contributors. Elma Saiz, the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, commented on the situation, asserting, "We are transforming the labor market of our country. Its situation has improved considerably compared to 2018." Excluding seasonal and calendar anomalies, the trend shows an impressive consolidation of the Social Security system which now tops 22 million affiliates, underpinned by nearly 3.5 million jobs added since 2018. Breaking down the data by regime, the General Regime——the largest segment within the system——added 207,001 average affiliates in April, nearing 1.86 million employed individuals. The Self-Employed Regime (RETA) also made strides, adding 15,439 affiliates (0.4%), reaching a historic high of 3,444,973 contributors. Comparing to April 2025, the self-employed sector saw an increase of 42,775 contributors to Social Security, which is a 1.2% growth. In the General Regime, the hospitality sector markedly outperformed other sectors with a 74% increase in job affiliation, while administrative activities gained 13,807 new contributors (0.9%) and wholesale trade saw a rise of 13,138 affiliates (0.5%). Conversely, the education sector experienced a slight dip of 1,200 contributors compared to the previous month. Additionally, the Special Agricultural System welcomed an increase of 7,147 contributors, while the Domestic System noted a decrease of 2,312. Furthermore, April marked a historic high for employed women, gaining 116,550 affiliates (1.1%), leading to a record total of 10,489,362 employed females. Meanwhile, male affiliation rose by 107,134 jobs (0.9%), resulting in a male contributor total of 11,616,469, also a record figure. Notably, the Ministry pointed out that there are now 250,821 more female affiliates than a year ago, underscoring a growth rate of 2.5% compared to 2025. April also witnessed a significant increase in foreign affiliates, rising by 96,684 contributors to achieve a new milestone of 3,248,247 employed foreigners. This figure represents an annual increment of 250,939 as well, showcasing a 14.7% segment of the total contributors. A deeper dive into demographics shows that individuals over the age of 55 represented 22% of the total workforce, up 5 points from 2018, while those under 30 comprised 16%, an increase from 14.2% eight years prior. The increase among older workers has been notable, growing by 53.2%, while the youth employment rate rose by 33.5%, exceeding the general average growth rate of 18.3%. In terms of job quality, there were also improvements; since April 2021, the number of permanent contracts rose by over 4.8 million, while temporary positions saw a significant reduction of 1.8 million. Notably, full-time permanent contracts accounted for the largest rise, with an increase of 285,984 year-on-year, leading to a healthier labor market. The Ministry highlighted the fact that all Autonomous Communities showed growth in average affiliation for April, with the Balearic Islands leading the way with 65,242 new jobs, followed closely by Andalusia with 43,312 and Catalonia with 38,360. On the contrary, the Canary Islands and La Rioja recorded the least growth in employment with just 296 and 824 new affiliates, respectively. Despite these promising statistics, the end of April saw an uptick in workers enrolled in temporary employment regulation files (ERTE), totaling 12,592, with various classifications illustrating the nuances in employment stability across sectors. Overall, April's labor market analysis illustrates a stabilization and diversification of the workforce, signaling a period of positive change. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2