Ibiza and Formentera curb year-on-year unemployment and increase hiring despite the end of the season

The councilor of Labor, Public Function and Social Dialogue, Catalina Cabrer, has highlighted this Tuesday that the Balearic Islands is going through a period of “labor stability”, with job creation and reduction of unemployment practically throughout the year. During the appearance in which she analyzed the data published by the Ministry of Labor, she focused much of her speech on the evolution of the labor market in Ibiza and Formentera, where the figures reflect a more positive behavior than in 2024.

Cabrer stressed that the November data confirm an increase in employment compared to last year, an advance that he considers “very important” and that he attributes, in large part, to the decline in long-term unemployment. She recalled that the Government has promoted an intensive monitoring plan aimed at this group, which has reduced the number of people who have been unemployed for more than a year. The councilor insisted that the indicators point to “firm steps towards the deseasonalization”, a key issue in an economy marked by the weight of tourism and services.

In Ibiza, 3,435 contracts were signed during November. The figure represents a decrease of 18.8%. compared to October, but an increase of 4.1% compared to the same month of the previous year. In Formentera, 197 contracts were formalized, a slight monthly decrease of 4.4%, in line with the end of the tourist season, but with a year-on-year decline of 38.2%.

Unemployment also reflects the usual post-summer dynamics, with monthly increases but a more favorable behavior than in 2024. In Ibiza there are 3,134 people registered as unemployed, which represents 15.3% more than in October but 2.5% less than a year earlier. In Formentera, unemployment affects 158 people, with a monthly increase of 11.3% but a year-on-year fall of 16%, one of the most notable declines in the archipelago.

The figures for job seekers, which include people registered with the SOIB although not all of them are unemployed, show the same pattern: a sharp monthly increase after the close of the season and a decrease compared to 2024. Ibiza registered 18,963 job seekers, 76.8% more than in October but 2.1% less than the previous year. In Formentera, applicants totaled 1,507, up 68.6% month-on-month and down 3.3% year-on-year.

Cabrer expressed his confidence that December will again behave like last year, driven by the Christmas shopping campaign, and will consolidate the lengthening of the season that the Government considers essential for the future of the labor market in the Pitiusas.