Unemployment in the Balearic Islands rose by 6.9% in October 2026 compared with the same month last year, reaching 29,605 unemployed people, according to figures presented by the Conselleria de Treball, Funció Pública i Diàleg Social. The archipelago has now recorded its second consecutive month of year-on-year growth in unemployment, although both recruitment and Social Security registrations also increased compared with October 2025.
In absolute terms, employment offices recorded 1,920 more unemployed people than a year earlier. Regional minister Catalina Cabrer presented the figures in the latest labour market report, which examines employment trends in the Balearic Islands and differences between islands and population groups.
Unemployment in Mallorca rises by 7%, with the largest increases in the Pityusic Islands
Unemployment increased across all the islands in October, although there were significant differences. In Mallorca, unemployment rose by 7% compared with the same month in 2025, while the largest percentage increases were recorded in Formentera and Eivissa.
The year-on-year changes by island were as follows:
- Formentera: +26.8%.
- Eivissa: +8.9%.
- Mallorca: +7.0%.
- Menorca: +1.9%.
By population group, unemployment rose particularly among under-25s (+21.1%) and men (+9.2%). The sharpest increase was recorded among non-EU foreign nationals, with 64.8% more people unemployed, while unemployment among Spanish nationals fell by 2.7%.
Permanent contracts account for 62.7% of recruitment in the Balearic Islands
Despite the rise in unemployment, recruitment in the Balearic Islands increased during October. A total of 29,164 new employment contracts were signed, 3.8% more than in the same month of 2025, representing an additional 1,064 contracts.
Recruitment increased in Mallorca (+5.5%), Menorca (+5.6%) and Formentera (+4.4%), while Eivissa recorded a decline of 5.7%.
One of the report’s most significant findings is the proportion of permanent contracts, which accounted for 62.7% of all new contracts in the Balearic Islands, compared with the national average of 43.3%.
This placed the archipelago second among Spain’s autonomous communities for the proportion of permanent contracts, behind only Murcia (63.1%). Compared with October 2025, permanent contracts increased by 4.1%, while temporary contracts rose by 3.3%.
Social Security registrations exceed 650,000
Employment trends in the Balearic Islands are also reflected in Social Security registration figures, which reached 650,876 people in October 2026. This represents an increase of 32,405 registered workers (+5.2%) compared with the same month last year.
Meanwhile, the number of self-employed workers registered with Social Security in the Balearic Islands reached 109,483, accounting for 16.8% of the total. This group recorded year-on-year growth of 3.1%, with 3,307 more registered workers than in October 2025.
The Balearic labour market therefore presents a mixed picture: while the number of people registered as unemployed is rising, recruitment and Social Security registrations are also increasing.
Extraordinary regularisation process brings 2,052 registrations with the SOIB
The October report also includes figures relating to the extraordinary regularisation process in the Balearic Islands. There are currently 2,052 jobseekers registered with the Servei d’Ocupació de les Illes Balears (SOIB) under the RE code, of whom 1,513 are classified as unemployed.
The number of registrations has increased steadily since the end of June, when 224 people were recorded. The figure rose to 587 in July, 870 in August and 1,369 in September, before reaching 2,052 in October.
Regarding educational attainment within this group, 89.2% have only completed primary education, while 4.8% have no formal education, according to figures provided by the Conselleria.
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