The Canary Islands ended August with 144,459 people registered as unemployed, according to the latest labour market figures. This represents an increase of 291 people compared with July, or a monthly rise of 0.20%.
Despite this slight monthly increase, the year-on-year figures show a more positive trend. Compared with August 2025, there are now 5,756 fewer unemployed people in the archipelago, a fall of 3.83%.
The August increase comes in a month strongly influenced by the seasonal nature of the labour market. For this reason, the comparison with the same month of the previous year provides a broader view of the employment situation in the Canary Islands.
One of the most positive indicators is the continued fall in long-term unemployment. The number of people who have been out of work for an extended period stood at 63,326 in August. This is 4,899 fewer than a year earlier, representing a decrease of 7.18%.
Compared with July, long-term unemployment remained practically unchanged, with 23 fewer people registered in this category, a slight fall of 0.04%.
Unemployment falls in agriculture and hospitality
The evolution of unemployment varied depending on the sector. In agriculture, registered unemployment fell to 2,269 people, a decrease of 0.66% compared with July. The hospitality sector also recorded a monthly fall, with 21,757 unemployed people, 0.50% fewer than in the previous month.
However, unemployment increased in all other main sectors. Manufacturing ended August with 5,239 people unemployed, up 0.91% from July. In construction, the number of unemployed people rose to 11,543, an increase of 0.59%.
Retail also recorded a rise, reaching 22,562 unemployed people, 0.39% more than in July.The largest group remained “other services”, with 70,607 unemployed people. This category increased by 0.42% during the month.
Fewer unemployed young people and older workers than a year ago
The year-on-year comparison shows a fall in unemployment across all age groups. Among people under the age of 25, there were 6,990 unemployed people in August. This is 407 fewer than in the same month of 2025, a decrease of 5.50%.
In the 25 to 44 age group, unemployment stood at 48,372 people, 690 fewer than a year earlier. This represents a fall of 1.41%. The largest absolute reduction was recorded among people aged 45 and over. In this group, 89,097 people were registered as unemployed, 4,659 fewer than in August 2025, equivalent to a drop of 4.97%.
Contracts increase by 4.06% year-on-year
Registered recruitment also increased compared with the same month last year. In August, 59,880 contracts were signed in the Canary Islands. This is 2,339 more than in August 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.06%.
The rise was recorded among both women and men. Women accounted for 29,061 contracts, 4.60% more than a year earlier. Men signed 30,819 contracts, an increase of 3.56%.
By age group, recruitment rose by 6.66% among people under 25, by 2.93% among those aged between 25 and 44, and by 3.50% among those over 45.
Of the total number of contracts registered in August, 25,026 were permanent. This means that permanent contracts accounted for 41.79% of all contracts signed during the month.
Permanent recruitment also increased compared with August 2025, rising by 5.21%. However, these figures refer to registered contracts and do not directly correspond to the number of net jobs created, as the same person may sign more than one contract.
Government highlights fall in long-term unemployment
The Deputy Minister for Employment, Isabel León, assessed the figures and highlighted the importance of continuing to reduce unemployment through training, skills development and employment policies aimed at vulnerable groups. The Regional Ministry also underlined that long-term unemployment has fallen to its lowest level since January 2009.
In parallel, the Canary Islands Employment Service is opening the 2026 call for applications for the Integrated Labour Market Integration Projects, known as PILL. The programme has a budget of €8.5 million and is expected to support more than 700 participants.The application period will last ten working days.
Overall, the August data show two different trends. Unemployment rose slightly compared with July, reflecting the seasonal behaviour of the labour market, but the number of unemployed people remains lower than a year ago. At the same time, long-term unemployment continues to fall, reinforcing the improvement seen in the year-on-year figures.
