Politics · Spain · 5 hrs ago
Spain delays key statistic on inactive permanent seasonal workers
Spain has not published a clear count of inactive permanent seasonal workers, who keep their contracts during periods without work.
The issue has drawn criticism because these workers are not counted as unemployed in Spain’s registered unemployment figures while inactive.
The 2021 labour reform expanded use of these contracts to replace temporary jobs, increasing their effect on the statistics.
Existing official data do not provide a complete count: records cover different groups, and a quarterly survey may miss intermittent work patterns.
The INE has been developing a new statistic using administrative records that could help measure the group, but it remains listed as a project after more than a year of delay.
The Economy Ministry says its release depends on the work of a technical group, and the INE says there is no publication date.
Spain’s Economy Ministry has again delayed an INE statistic that is expected to show how many workers on permanent seasonal contracts are inactive.
The statistic, known as Erada, has been in development for years and remains listed as “in project.”
The INE said it is still working on the statistic and has no planned publication date.
The delay leaves no clear, consistent official figure for inactive permanent seasonal workers.
The dispute matters because these workers are not counted as unemployed during periods of inactivity, and critics say this can improve the official unemployment picture.
- Who
- Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) is developing the statistic, while the Economy Ministry’s draft plan says its release depends on a technical working group.
- What
- Publication of a statistic expected to measure inactive permanent seasonal workers has been delayed again.
- When
- The latest delay was reported on October 18, 2026. The statistic has been in development for years.
- Where
- Spain.
- Why
- The release date depends on conclusions from a technical working group; the sources do not give a more specific reason for the delay.
Government and Economy Ministry
Opposition critics
Impact on unemployment figures
Government and Economy Ministry
The minister said permanent seasonal workers have a 5% impact on the statistics overall.
Opposition critics
Critics accuse the government of improving the labour-market picture artificially by not counting inactive workers as unemployed.
Aspect
Government and Economy Ministry
Government and Economy Ministry's view
Opposition critics
Opposition critics' view
Statistical treatment
Government and Economy Ministry
The Labour Ministry has used the same statistical criterion since 1985.
Opposition critics
The wider use of permanent seasonal contracts after the 2021 labour reform makes their exclusion from unemployment figures more consequential.
Erada was first included in the National Statistical Plan, with monthly information due to begin in 2025.
Yolanda Díaz committed to making public the figure for inactive permanent seasonal workers.
The planned start of monthly publication was delayed.
Erada remained listed as “in project” in the inventory.
The draft 2027 annual programme said the publication date depended on the technical working group’s conclusions.
- Statistic
- Erada (Statistics on Relationship with Activity from Administrative Data)
- Status
- In project” in 2026
- Planned publication
- Monthly information was initially due to begin in 2025
- Minister
- Carlos Cuerpo
- Reported impact
- The minister put the overall impact of permanent seasonal workers on statistics at 5%
What people are saying
Not stated
the publication date of this operation is conditioned on the conclusions of the technical working group
no planned publication date