Two years after the labour reform promoted by the coalition Government of PSOE and Unidas Podemos, a record level of employment is reached and unemployment is reduced to its lowest level since 2007.
Despite this change of model, there is a slowdown in job creation, which is expected to intensify in 2024 due to growth deceleration.
The Spanish labour market has well resisted inflationary pressures and geopolitical tensions, with a reduction of 130,000 people in unemployment and 540,000 new jobs in 2023.
40% of new jobs are with permanent contracts, especially benefitting the young, but there is a slowdown in hiring speed and a predominance of unemployed women.
Despite a general increase in permanent contracts, the seasonality of the Spanish labour market still stands out, a characteristic of an economy where the service sector is gaining weight.
Conclusion: The challenge of the new legislature is to consolidate the change in the labour market model and counteract the job instability caused by employment's seasonality, which is expected to benefit workers' stability and assurance.