Unemployment rose in Spain after 340,000 migrants were granted legal status — Bloomberg
Spain’s migrant regularization program has affected labor market statistics: an increasing number of foreigners are entering the formal workforce, but some of those who were not previously registered with the government are now registering as unemployed.
In August, the number of registered unemployed in Spain increased by 44,419 people. This is the largest increase for the month of August since 2019 and roughly twice as much as in the corresponding months of 2024 and 2025.
It should be noted that nearly 40% of this increase was accounted for by foreign nationals. Moreover, more than half of the increase among them consists of people who previously had no official work history in Spain.
At the same time, the total number of unemployed remains 2.9% lower than a year ago. Decreases were recorded in all major sectors, with the exception of the category of people with no prior employment. Their numbers increased by 20,499 people, or 9.2%. Among foreigners in this group, the increase was nearly 60%.
This result is attributed to the regularization program, which allows migrants already residing in Spain without proper documents to obtain legal status, the right to work, and access to public employment services.
As a result, people who were previously not included in official statistics can now register as unemployed after legalization. At the same time, the August data do not allow for a precise determination of what portion of the rise in unemployment is directly attributable to this program.
On the other side of the statistics is a sharp increase in official employment. According to Elma Saís, Minister of Inclusion and Social Security, by August, nearly 340,000 foreigners who had obtained legal status had registered in the social security system as employees.
Economy Minister Carlos Cuervo stated that over the past year, the number of registrations in the social security system has increased by approximately 680,000 overall.
“These figures reflect the positive momentum of the Spanish economy and the positive impact of the legalization process, so this is very good news,” he said.
At the same time, the government’s immigration policy remains a subject of heated debate following the crisis in Ceuta. In late July, about 80,000 people illegally crossed the border from Morocco into the Spanish enclave in North Africa. Most returned within the first few days, but several thousand people remain in the city.
Source: Bloomberg.
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As a reminder, Ceuta is preparing accommodations for at least 862 migrant minors.
Antoni Vives called the crisis in Ceuta a geopolitical signal from Morocco to Spain.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the actions of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during the influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
