Unemployment in the Canary Islands fell again in June, confirming the positive trend in the archipelago’s labour market. The islands closed the month with 142,409 registered unemployed people, which represents a decrease of 2,189 people compared with May, according to the latest figures published by the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy.
This monthly decline is equivalent to a fall of 1.51% over the last 30 days. The data also show a clear improvement compared with the same period last year. In relation to June 2025, the Canary Islands now have 8,295 fewer unemployed people, representing a year-on-year decrease of 5.50% in the registers of the public employment services.
The figures confirm that unemployment in the archipelago continues to fall both month-on-month and year-on-year, with the first half of 2026 ending on a more favourable note for the regional labour market.
Tenerife leads the monthly decline by province
The fall in unemployment was recorded across the Canary Islands, although the western province made the largest contribution to the monthly improvement.
In the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which includes Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, the number of unemployed people stood at 68,859 at the end of June. This represents 1,291 fewer unemployed people than in May, a monthly decrease of 1.84%. Compared with June 2025, unemployment in the province has fallen by 3,092 people, equivalent to a year-on-year drop of 4.30%.
In the province of Las Palmas, which includes Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the number of unemployed people stood at 73,550. This is 898 fewer than in the previous month, representing a fall of 1.21%. On a year-on-year basis, the eastern province recorded a stronger decrease, with 5,203 fewer unemployed people than a year ago, a decline of 6.61%.
Women continue to account for the majority of registered unemployment
The data also reflect the continuing gender gap in the labour market. Of the 142,409 unemployed people registered in the Canary Islands, 82,136 are women and 60,273 are men.
By age group, young people under the age of 25 account for 7,266 of the unemployed. The remaining 135,143 unemployed people belong to other age groups.
Unemployment falls in all economic sectors
By sector, unemployment fell across the board in June, with the services sector accounting for most of the monthly decline. This is especially relevant in the Canary Islands, where services remain the main driver of employment due to the weight of tourism, hospitality, commerce and related activities.
The services sector recorded 1,826 fewer unemployed people, bringing the total number of unemployed in this sector to 112,757.
In construction, unemployment fell by 172 people, leaving the sector with 11,460 registered unemployed. Agriculture recorded a decrease of 86 people, with the total standing at 2,243. In industry, unemployment fell by 66 people, bringing the figure to 5,224.
The group of people without previous employment also saw a slight decline, with 39 fewer registered jobseekers, leaving a total of 10,725.
Nearly 64,000 contracts signed in June
The decline in unemployment was accompanied by a strong increase in hiring. During June, a total of 63,947 contracts were signed in the Canary Islands.
This represents an increase of 23.15% compared with May and a rise of 4.45% compared with June 2025. The figures point to a significant acceleration in recruitment activity at the start of the summer season.
Of the total number of contracts signed in June, 27,757 were permanent contracts. This category increased by 21.70% compared with the previous month and by 14.62% compared with the same month last year.
Fixed-term contracts also rose over the month. A total of 36,190 temporary contracts were signed, representing a monthly increase of 24.29%. However, compared with June 2025, fixed-term contracts fell by 2.21%.
The data therefore show a rise in overall hiring, with permanent contracts gaining particular importance in year-on-year terms.
More than 217,000 jobseekers in the archipelago
At the end of the first half of 2026, the total number of jobseekers registered in the Canary Islands stood at 217,041.
Of these, 41,067 were classified as employed jobseekers, meaning they were already working but looking for better employment opportunities. A further 22,779 people were listed as having special working conditions.
The number of unemployed jobseekers stood at 153,195. This category includes the 142,409 officially registered unemployed people, as well as 10,786 subsidised seasonal agricultural workers.
Unemployment benefit expenditure exceeds 101 million euros
The ministerial report also includes data on unemployment benefit claims. By the end of May, 28,294 claims for unemployment benefit had been submitted in the Canary Islands.
Of these, the public employment service approved 26,450 claims, with an average processing time of 0.44 days. Total expenditure on unemployment benefits in the archipelago reached 101.2 million euros.
Overall, the June data show a continued improvement in the Canary Islands labour market, with fewer unemployed people, stronger hiring activity and a notable increase in permanent contracts. However, the figures also underline persistent challenges, particularly the high number of women registered as unemployed and the continued dependence of the regional labour market on the services sector.
