Malaga loses more than 7,000 workers in November and is the only Andalusian province where unemployment has risen

Malaga province suffered a sharp fall in employment in November, due to the effects of the seasonal nature of tourism. Although more and more hotels remain open in the winter, the employment campaign is much stronger at the start of the high season.

The province lost 7,111 social security contributors in November, which is the second largest fall in employment at national level, following Gerona. The statistics published on Tuesday attribute the decrease to the hospitality sector. Between October and November, this field lost 8,376 registered workers in the province. The total fall in enrolment was smaller because other sectors created jobs and partly compensated for the drop.

Malaga was also the only Andalusian province where unemployment rose in November. However, the increase was small in comparison with the destruction of employment that took place: the list of unemployed only increased by 486 people compared to October, bringing the total to 110,837. This paradox (that employment falls a lot but unemployment rises only a little) is due to discontinuous permanent workers. When they stop being active workers, they no longer count as employees registered with the social security, but they do not count as unemployed.

It is striking how, unlike Malaga, provinces such as Seville, Jaén, Granada and Cordoba managed to reduce unemployment in November by more than a thousand people each, especially Seville, which decreased unemployment figures by 2,240. The reason is not only the agricultural sector and the olive campaign, as one might think. In Seville, for example, unemployment fell the most in the services sector, with 1,686 fewer unemployed.

In Malaga, the increase in unemployment was entirely due to the services sector, which added 537 unemployed individuals in November. On the other hand, the other sectors slightly reduced their unemployment numbers: agriculture by 77, industry by 22 and construction by 88.

The rise in unemployment affected exclusively men (+583), while female unemployment fell by 97. The gender gap narrowed slightly, although women still account for almost 61% of the total number of unemployed people in the province. The age gap also persists: the over-45s account for more than 58% of the total.

The fall was led, as mentioned above, by hotels and restaurants, which lost 8,376 contributors from October to November. Employment also fell in administrative activities (-1,184), transport and storage (-458) and, to a lesser extent, in arts, entertainment and recreation (-147), financial and insurance activities (-126), "other services" (-101) and trade (-99). In contrast, enrolment increased in other sectors, especially education, which has been leading job creation over the last year. In November, this sector added another 1,000 contributors. Employment also grew in construction (+867); "professional, scientific and technical activities" (+845); "information and communications" (+214); the manufacturing industry (+158) and public administration (+119).

Hiring also fell in Malaga in November compared to October (by 12%), but increased compared to the same month in 2024 (by 4.7%). There were 47,712 contracts, of which 21,203 were permanent (44.4%) and 26,509 were temporary contracts (54.5%).

It should be noted that Malaga is still better off than a year ago in terms of employment: the November figures show a fall of 9,233 unemployed and an increase of 25,552 in the number of registered workers in year-on-year terms. Employment is at its highest level ever for November.

According to secretary for youth, training and employment of the UGT trade union in Malaga Sandra Rueda, the November data again "demonstrates the excessive dependence of Malaga on the tourism sector and the fragility of employment linked to seasonality". "We consider it urgent to move towards a more diversified production model, with stable employment, effective active employment policies and specific measures for young people, migrants and sectors more exposed to seasonality," she said.

For employment secretary of the CC OO Malaga union María José Prados, Malaga province "needs to continue investing in innovative sectors to diversify the economy and, therefore, employment. It is also necessary to support policies that break the seasonal nature of employment". "We must train those people who find it most difficult to access employment, such as women over 40 and people who have been out of the labour market for more than a year," she stated.

Executive deputy president of the confederation of employers of Malaga (CEM) Natalia Sánchez highlights the "capacity of the productive fabric in the province of Malaga to continue generating employment and gaining affiliation, with 25,552 more workers than a year ago". However, she acknowledges that the year-on-year decrease in unemployment has been lower (9,233 people) and this is due to the fact that, despite continuous "economic activity and recruitment, the continuous increase in the active population is a difficult challenge to overcome".

"Malaga is a very dynamic province and we continue growing in very diverse sectors," she said. However, this dynamism "could be compromised" if business initiative and growth are not consolidated, "supported by policies that promote hiring and provide legal security for companies, with special attention to the groups that face the greatest difficulties in entering the workforce: young people and those over 45".