Aragón reached 638,900 employed people in the third quarter of 2026, 8,400 more than a year earlier, while the labor force climbed to a record high of 703,900 people. Employment is growing, but the entry of more people into the labor market has also pushed unemployment up to 65,000.
Aragón adds jobs, but unemployment rises as the labor force hits a record
Employment in Aragón increased 1.3% year over year, according to the Labor Force Survey (EPA), after adding 8,400 workers over 12 months. The labor force grew at a faster pace, rising by 14,500 people, or 2.1%, and posted three consecutive quarters of strong growth to reach its highest level on record.
This growth in the population available for work was also reflected in unemployment figures. Aragón recorded 65,000 unemployed people, 6,100 more than in the third quarter of the previous year. The unemployment rate stood at 9.2%, one percentage point below the national average of 10.2%.
Of those unemployed, 29,000 were seeking their first job or had been out of work for more than a year. This group accounts for around 45% of the total number of unemployed people in the region.
Teruel and Huesca rank among Spain’s provinces with the lowest unemployment
Teruel recorded an unemployment rate of 5.6%, the fifth-lowest in Spain, while Huesca posted 6.3%, the eighth-lowest in the country. In Zaragoza, the unemployment rate rose to 10.4%.
By sector, construction led year-over-year job growth, rising 17.6%. Employment also increased in agriculture, by 4.4%, and in services, by 0.1%, remaining virtually unchanged. Industry was the only sector to shed jobs, with employment falling 0.8%.
The director general for Economic Policy, Ricardo Laborda, said the data reflected the simultaneous increase in unemployment and employment, alongside record labor-force participation. The challenge, according to the Government of Aragón, is to turn growth in the labor force into new jobs through investment, business projects, and stronger industrial competitiveness.
Employment falls during the quarter despite a larger labor force
Compared with the second quarter of 2026, the labor force increased by 3,400 people, or 0.5%. Employment, however, fell by 4,400 people, or 0.7%, while the number of unemployed people increased by 7,700 to 65,000.
The quarterly trend contrasts with the year-over-year increase in employment and the record labor force. Aragón has added 8,400 employed people and 14,500 people to the labor force over the past year, although job creation has not yet fully absorbed the increase in people entering the labor market.
The region aims to accelerate that absorption through economic growth, new investment, and business projects that promote stable employment across the territory.
