Business · Economy · 2 hrs ago
Men in work in Spain reach a new high after 19 years
Spain recorded 12.19 million employed men in the third quarter of 2026, beating the previous high of 12.18 million set in the same quarter of 2007.
The figures come from Spain’s Labor Force Survey, produced by the National Statistics Institute.
The number fell to 9.17 million in early 2014 after the financial crisis and collapse of the housing boom, and took more than 12 years to recover.
Construction was hit especially hard, with employment in the sector dropping from 2.7 million in 2007 to 940,000 in 2014.
Spain’s labor market has changed since the housing boom: construction now makes up about 16% of workers, compared with nearly 20% then.
Women reached and passed their earlier employment peak in 2018, and their employment rose to 10.66 million in the third quarter of 2026.
The record does not mean the labor market is fully equal or uniformly strong; the latest quarter also saw unemployment rise to 10.18% as job growth slowed.
Spain recorded 12.19 million employed men in the third quarter of 2026, exceeding the previous high of 12.18 million set in the same quarter of 2007.
The new figure came 19 years after the previous record and more than 12 years after male employment reached a low of 9.17 million in early 2014.
The construction sector, which had employed 2.7 million people in 2007, had 940,000 workers in 2014 as the housing bubble collapsed.
Women had passed their previous employment record by 2018, and their employment reached 10.66 million in the third quarter of 2026.
Men made up 53.3% of Spain’s labour force in the third quarter of 2026, compared with 46.7% for women.
- Who
- 12.19 million men employed in Spain.
- What
- Male employment reached a new record, exceeding the previous high of 12.18 million.
- When
- The third quarter of 2026; the figures were published on October 28, 2026.
- Where
- Spain.
- Why
- The sources describe the milestone as a recovery in male employment after the economic crisis, but do not state one specific cause for the new record.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Male employment reached its previous high of 12.18 million.
Male employment fell as the housing bubble burst and the construction sector contracted.
Male employment reached a low of 9.17 million.
Women’s employment exceeded its previous high, reaching 8.8 million.
Male employment reached 12.19 million, above the 2007 record.
- Male employment, third quarter 2026
- 12.19 million
- Previous male employment record, third quarter 2007
- 12.18 million
- Male employment low, first quarter 2014
- 9.17 million
- Construction workers, 2007
- 2.7 million
- Construction workers, 2014
- 940,000
- Women employed, third quarter 2026
- 10.66 million