Economically Active Population Survey. Q2/2024

The employed population in Catalonia grew by 1.9% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2024 and stood at 3,807,600 people. In absolute numbers, the year-over-year increase was equivalent to 70,100 people. In relation to the first quarter of 2024, there was an increase of 23,800 employed people (0.6%).

In terms of the year-over-year evolution of employment by sector, the employed population grew in services (31,200 people; 1.1%), in industry (25,800 people; 4.2%) and in construction (15,400 people; 6.8%), while it decreased in agriculture (−2,400 people; −5.2%). Compared with the previous quarter, the employed population grew in construction (18,900 people; 8.4%), in the service sector (3,500 people; 0.1%) and in industry (3,000 people; 0.5%), while it decreased in agriculture (−1,600 people; −3.6%).

By sex, in year-over-year terms, employment grew more among men (2.7%) than women (0.9%). By age, the most intense growth in employment compared to the previous year was among the population aged 55 and over (7.9%), followed by the 16 to 24-year-old segment (4.0%) and from 25 to 54 years old, which remains stable (0.0%). Compared to the previous quarter, the employed population aged 55 or over increased by 5.4%, followed by the 16 to 24-year-old segment (4.0%). Conversely, employment among the population aged 25 to 54 decreased by 1.0%.

By type of working day in year-over-year terms, part-time employment increased by 17.7% and full-time employment decreased (−0.3%). Among the employed salaried population by type of contract, indefinitive contracts grew by 6.2%, while temporary contracts decreased by 8.5%.

The unemployment rate stood at 9.41%, with a total of 395,300 unemployed people (31,100 more than the previous year; a increase of 8.5%). By sex, men unemployment increased by 9.5% year-over-year (with an unemployment rate of 9.28%) and that of womens increased by 7.5% (with a rate of 9.54%). By age , the increase in the unemployed population aged 55 and over (10.3%) stands out, followed by the population aged 25 to 54 (9.4%) and the population of 16 to 24 years old (4.0%).

Regarding specific sectors, the population employed in the cultural sector stood at 178,100 people (4.7% of total employment) and decreased by 2.6% year-over-year and 5.3% quarter-over-quarter. By sex, the culture sector employed 110,100 men and 68.000 women.

In the tourism sector, the employed population was 523,600 people, representing 13,8% of total employment. This figure represents a decrease of 2.7% compared to the firstquarter of 2024 and increase of 2.9% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. By sex, this sector employed 293,700 men and 229,900 women.

The ICT sector employed 145,100 people in the second quarter of 2024 (9.4% more than a year ago and 3.8% less than the previous quarter) and accounted for 3.8% of total employment.