The unemployment rate in Málaga rises to 13.62% and separates by 3.44 points from the Spanish average. The province loses 9,900 jobs despite having fewer unemployed.
According to information published by moncloa.com, the unemployment rate in Málaga rises to 13.62% in the third quarter of 2026, compared to the 10.18% of the Spanish average. The data comes from the Active Population Survey (EPA) released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), showing that the Málaga rate has increased by 1.34 points in a year, up from 12.28% in the summer of 2025.
In absolute numbers, the province totals 130,200 unemployed, 15,900 more than a year ago, and is the second Andalusian province with the most unemployed. Nationwide, there are 22,000 fewer unemployed.
The gap with the national average has increased from 1.83 points a year ago to 3.44 points now. Málaga maintains the lowest rate in Andalucía, although Córdoba (14.42%), Huelva (14.84%), Sevilla (14.95%), Jaén (15.19%) and Cádiz (15.37%) are below the rate of Granada, which leads Andalusian unemployment at 16.14%, closely followed by Almería (16.10%).
In the quarter, the active population decreases by 10,900 people, down to 955,800, and the number of unemployed falls by 1,000. However, the employed decrease by 9,900, from 835,500 to 825,600, while Spain creates 73,600 jobs.
The services sector accounts for 78.6% of Málaga's active workforce, compared to 72.8% nationally. According to data from UGT Málaga, services lost 4,600 jobs in the quarter and agriculture lost 4,300. Industry gained a thousand jobs and construction remained stable.
Female unemployment decreased by 3,500, down to 70,700 women, with a rate of 15.49%, while male unemployment rose by 2,500, up to 59,500 men, with a rate of 11.92%. The next reference will be the EPA for the fourth quarter, which INE will publish at the end of January 2027.
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