Unemployment in the Marina Alta fell to its lowest January level for 17 years

Unemployment in the Marina Alta at the end of January stood at just over 12% with almost 8,500 people looking for work in the region, the lowest figure for the month since 2008. The number of unemployed is also lower than January 2024 but the highest figure since February 2024.

At the end of January, 8,497 people in the Marina Alta were registered as looking for work with Labora, the Public Employment and Training Service for the Comunidad Valenciana., 405 fewer than in January 2024 but 145 more than December 2024 when seasonal employment provided more opportunities over the holiday period. Of these, just over 35% have been unemployed for more than two years.

The increase in unemployment since the end of December 2024 (145) has been suffered mainly by women, who account for a staggering 97% of the total. The only group that has seen a decrease in the number of job seekers compared to the previous month is the Under 25 age group which has dropped by 47.

Hiring during January grew by 13.45% compared to December 2024 with a total of 2,261 new contracts awarded during the month of which the number of permanent contracts rose by almost 27%. Allowing for seasonal adjustments, the Marina Alta reached record numbers of employed people in the region (60,131) whilst you would have to go back to 2008 to find a lower number of unemployed than that recorded last month (8.497 compared to 7,335 in January 2008).

And, according to data provided by the Marina Alta Observatory of CREAMA and PACTE’MA, the unemployment rate for the region has been estimated at 12.38%, lower than the Province of Alicante and the Comunidad Valenciana as a whole (15.54% and 12.81% respectively).