Unemployment in the Balearic Islands fell by 4.6% year-on-year during the first quarter of 2026, according to data from the Labour Force Survey (EPA) published this Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute. The Islands recorded 91,800 unemployed people, which is 4,400 fewer than in the same period of the previous year.
Despite this annual improvement, the unemployment rate stood at 13.8% of the active population, three points above the national average, which was 10.9%. Across Spain as a whole, the number of unemployed people reached 2.7 million at the start of the year.
The Balearic labour market also showed progress in terms of employment. Employment grew by 3.5% year-on-year, compared with the national average of 2.4%, reaching 573,800 people in employment in the first quarter. This performance reflects the importance of tourism activity and the earlier hiring process in the months leading up to the high season.
However, compared with the previous quarter, unemployment in the Balearic Islands increased by 39,800 people, up 76.5%, a usual first-quarter rise due to the seasonality of the Islands’ labour market following the end of the previous tourist season.
Business leaders point to hotel openings and Easter
Pending the release of April’s Social Security affiliation, registered unemployment and hiring figures, which will be published next week, the president of CAEB, Carmen Planas, said the EPA “confirms early hiring thanks to hotel openings in February and March and to Easter arriving earlier this year”.
Planas also noted that “companies are affected by the uncertainty generated by the geopolitical situation, but they expect the season to be similar to the previous one”.
PIMEM highlights economic strength but warns of internal challenges
For his part, the president of PIMEM, Jordi Mora, stressed that the Balearic Islands have “a strong economy” and that international uncertainty “is not currently having a negative impact on companies”.
Mora warned, however, of several structural problems affecting the Balearic business sector: “We have challenges that are in our hands and urgently require solutions: absenteeism, the shortage of labour and housing, both for society in general and for workers who come to cover the high season, or even to fill public administration positions throughout the year”.
Employment improves, but the Balearic Islands maintain a high unemployment rate
The EPA figures show a positive year-on-year trend, with lower unemployment and higher employment than a year ago. However, the Balearic unemployment rate remains above the national average, highlighting the dual nature of the Islands’ labour market: a strong capacity to create jobs in the months leading up to the tourist season, but a high dependence on seasonality.
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