The province of Seville lost 4,900 jobs and added 10,600 unemployed between April and June, according to the Active Population Survey. Industry and construction jointly destroyed 10,400 jobs, while agriculture gained 4,900 employed.
The Active Population Survey (EPA) for the second quarter of 2026 has left negative figures for the province of Seville. According to data published this Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the Seville labour market lost 4,900 jobs compared to the previous quarter, while the number of unemployed increased by 10,600 people. The unemployment rate climbed from 12% to 13.01%, and the employment rate fell from 50.62% to 50.12%.
The deterioration is concentrated in two key sectors: industry and construction. Industry destroyed 6,400 jobs, dropping from 89,600 to 83,200 employed. Construction, for its part, lost 4,000 jobs, reducing its workforce from 72,100 to 68,100 workers. Together, both sectors eliminated 10,400 jobs, a figure that doubles the total net loss in the province, indicating that other sectors partially compensated for the collapse.
Agriculture was the sector that contributed most to mitigating the decline. The agricultural sector in Seville gained 4,900 employed, exactly the same number lost by the province as a whole, raising its employment volume to 34,000 people. Services, on the other hand, remained practically stable, with an increase of just 600 workers, reaching 664,700 employed. Without the boost from the primary sector and the stability of services, job destruction would have been much more pronounced.
The active population also experienced an increase. Seville now counts 977,100 active individuals, 5,600 more than in the first quarter. This means there are more people working or seeking employment, but the labour market has not been able to absorb this new supply, contributing to the rise in unemployment. The activity rate stood at 57.62%, virtually unchanged from the previous quarter.
Despite the poor quarterly data, the year-on-year comparison offers a more positive picture. In the last twelve months, Seville has gained 29,400 employed (from 820,600 to 850,000) and reduced the number of unemployed by 5,100 people (from 132,300 to 127,200). The active population has also grown by 24,200 people over the past year. Thus, although the second quarter has represented a halt in the favourable trend that the province has been recording, the annual evolution remains positive.
The INE publishes the EPA every quarter with data on employment, unemployment, and activity by province. For the next quarter, analysts will be watching to see if industry and construction manage to recover some of the lost jobs or if the negative trend consolidates.
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