Canarias has reported the highest employment growth in Spain for the third quarter of 2026, with the creation of 38,100 new jobs, representing a 3.67% increase, according to the latest data from the Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA) released by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
Year-on-year, the region added 65,700 jobs between July and September, marking a 6.52% rise compared to the same period in 2025. However, the number of unemployed individuals reached 131,600 by the end of September, reflecting a decrease of 3.12% from the previous quarter and a significant annual drop of 23.55%.
The EPA also indicated that the population aged 16 and over in Canarias has grown to 1,997,300, an increase of 8,100 people or 0.41% from the previous quarter. Over the past year, this demographic has expanded by 21,400 individuals, equivalent to a 1.08% rise.
Active participants in the labour market reached 1,205,200, showing an increase of 33,800 or 2.89% compared to the second quarter, and up by 25,100 or 2.13% from the third quarter of 2025.
Despite the overall positive employment figures, the labour market also recorded an increase in unemployment, rising by 95,900 to a total of 2.59 million, resulting in a rate of 10.18%. This is the largest increase for this period since the pandemic. The growth in employment, which added 73,600 jobs, is seen alongside the rise in unemployment due to a significant increase in the active population, which grew by 169,500 to 25,443,800 individuals either working or seeking work.
