Malaga employment 2026: 4,000 jobs added in February as six-month decline ends

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Province records second-highest growth in Andalucía as service sector rebound offsets end of olive harvest

Nuria Triguero

Tuesday, 3 March 2026, 12:23

After six consecutive months of employment losses, Malaga finally reversed the decline in February.

The province had an average of 731,941 registered workers last month, which is 4,180 more than in January (an increase of 0.57 per cent).

This was the second-highest growth in employment recorded in Andalucía after Huelva - a province in the middle of the strawberry season, thanks to which it added 17,000 contributors in February.

Employment also rose in Almeria (+2,147), Cadiz (+793) and Seville (+605). In contrast, employment in Granada (-2,009), Cordoba (-2,207) and, above all, Jaén continued declining, with the end of the olive harvest resulting in almost 12,000 fewer registered workers than in the previous month. Overall, the region created 9,076 jobs in February.

Unemployment rates also changed in February: the month ended with 495 fewer unemployed, to 110,430. The question is whether Malaga will be able to drop below 100,000 unemployed in the coming months, taking advantage of the tourist season.

At the Andalusian level, the behaviour of unemployment was mostly positive, although without major variations. The provinces where unemployment fell are Cadiz (-889), Huelva (-654), Malaga (-495), Cordoba (-318) and Seville (-314). Unemployment rose, albeit slightly, in Almeria (+38) and Jaén (+26). Overall, the region recorded a decrease of 2,629 unemployed.

This reduction in unemployment happened in all sectors in Malaga: 463 fewer job seekers in services, 100 in industry, 78 in construction and 43 in agriculture. In contrast, the number of people without previous employment increased by 189.

23,000 new jobs in one year

From a year-on-year perspective, Malaga shows a positive balance both in terms of unemployment (it has 10,665 fewer unemployed than a year ago) and social security enrolment, which has increased by 23,257 people. In fact, it is the fourth province in Spain with the highest employment growth in absolute terms (after Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia).