In April, registered unemployment in the Canary Islands increased by 2,424 individuals (+1.47%) from the previous month, marking it as the only autonomous community in Spain where unemployment rose during this period. The total number of unemployed in the region now stands at 167,468, according to the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy. Notably, this figure represents the lowest April unemployment level since 2008.
Historically, since the start of comparable records in 1996, unemployment in the Canary Islands has typically risen in April (15 out of 28 years), although the region has also seen declines 13 times. The recent increase is the smallest since 2021. Over the past year, the islands have seen a significant decrease in unemployment, with 12,224 fewer unemployed, a reduction of 6.8%.
By province, Las Palmas recorded the highest number of unemployed at 87,138, followed by Santa Cruz de Tenerife with 80,330. In terms of sectors, the month saw a decrease in unemployment in the sectors of Agriculture (down by three) and Unemployed (down by 105), while there were increases in Services (up by 2,398), Construction (up by 87), and Industry (up by 47). The Services sector continues to have the highest number of unemployed at 129,803, followed by Construction at 15,080. The sectors with the fewest unemployed were Agriculture (3,058) and Industry (6,216), with those unaffiliated to any sector at 13,311.
Regarding gender, of the 167,468 registered unemployed in April, 95,487 were women, showing a slight decrease of 267, and 71,981 were men, down by 110 from the previous month. Among the youth under 25, unemployment rose by 76, while it decreased by 453 among those aged 25 and over.
The report also highlights a general decrease in unemployment across other autonomous communities, with the largest reductions observed in Andalusia (-20,954), Madrid (-8,044), and Catalonia (-7,359), contrasting sharply with the smaller decreases in Ceuta (-78) and Melilla (-133). Meanwhile, both provinces in the Canary Islands experienced increases in unemployment, with Las Palmas seeing the most significant rise of 1,366 and Santa Cruz de Tenerife seeing an increase of 1,058.
