Unemployment in Castilla-La Mancha increased by 15,700 people in the first quarter of 2025, representing a 12.82% rise compared to the previous quarter. This brought the region’s unemployment rate to 13.27% with a total of 138,300 unemployed individuals, according to data from the Active Population Survey (EPA) released on Monday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
On an annual basis, unemployment also decreased in the Autonomous Community by 15,700 people, a 10.22% decline compared to the same quarter of the previous year. The number of employed individuals in Castilla-La Mancha stood at 904,200, which is 31,600 fewer than the previous quarter, with an activity rate of 57.67%.
This number of unemployed individuals is the lowest in a first quarter since 2008. Throughout the history of the INE series, unemployment has mostly increased in the first quarter in Castilla-La Mancha (18 times) while decreasing 5 times.
During the first quarter, 7,100 jobs were lost in Castilla-La Mancha (0.8% decrease compared to the previous quarter), bringing the total number of employed individuals to 904,200, the highest employment figure in a first quarter on record.
Over the past year, unemployment has decreased by 15,700 people (10.22%) in Castilla-La Mancha, with 31,600 new jobs created (3.6% increase), and an increase of 15,800 in the active workforce (1.5%).
In terms of gender, female unemployment increased by 6,900 women (9.5%), while male unemployment decreased by 8,800 individuals (17.5%) in the first quarter. This resulted in 79,200 women and 59,100 men unemployed by the end of the quarter, with female unemployment rate at 17.04% and male unemployment rate at 10.23%.
Regarding youth unemployment, the number of individuals under 25 years old unemployed in Castilla-La Mancha increased by 6,200 individuals in the last three months, bringing the youth unemployment rate to 31.34%.
CONTRACT TYPES
According to the INE, the number of salaried employees with permanent contracts increased by 13,500 people in the first quarter in the region, while the number of temporary employees decreased by 14,000. Following these changes, the total number of salaried employees reached 762,200, with 644,300 on permanent contracts (84.53%) and 117,900 on temporary contracts (15.47%).
Job losses in the first quarter in Castilla-La Mancha were more significant in the public sector, which saw a reduction of 6,800 jobs (3.94% decrease) to a total of 165,700 employed individuals. On the other hand, the private sector lost 300 jobs (0.04% decrease from the previous quarter) with a total of 738,500 jobs.
The number of full-time employed individuals decreased by 4,600 people in the first quarter (0.59% decrease) in the community, totaling 776,100 employed individuals. Meanwhile, part-time salaried employees decreased by 2,500 people (1.91% decrease), totaling 128,100 individuals.
By sectors, unemployment decreased in First-time job seekers or those who left their last job more than 1 year ago by 1,600 individuals (2.7% decrease), while it increased in Services by 13,300 individuals (30.16% increase); Industry by 2,300 individuals (26.14% increase); Agriculture by 1,400 individuals (20.29% increase); Construction by 200 individuals (5.56% increase).
BY AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES
Catalonia (+47,100), Balearic Islands (+42,900), and Madrid (+23,900) were the regions where the number of unemployed individuals increased the most, while Murcia, Basque Country, and Cantabria experienced the least growth, with decreases of 4,400, 4,300, and 1,000, respectively.
In terms of employment, Madrid (+14,800), Basque Country (+11,200), and Murcia (+4,200) were the regions that created the most jobs, while Balearic Islands, Valencian Community, and Andalusia saw the largest decreases with 42,400, 20,400, and 12,400 fewer jobs, respectively.
Nationally, unemployment increased by 193,700 individuals between January and March, a 7.4% rise compared to the previous quarter, while employment decreased by 92,500 individuals (0.4% decrease), with the public sector bearing the brunt of the job losses, shedding 92,200 positions.