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[[File:Logo_Monografía.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Statistical graph: Evolution in registred unemployment. 2015-2020. Spain.]]One of the immediate effects of the health crisis on the labour market was that many people were unable to carry out the tasks they usually performed. Countless people saw their economic activity suspended by the economic shutdown following the state of alarm on 14 March, with exceptions only being made for activities that were considered ‘essential’. As restrictions were gradually loosened in May and June, some workers were able to return to work, yet many others were not. This second group included those whose companies made use of the exceptional measures put in place by the national government through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (agreed upon by employers and unions and approved in Parliament), which allowed employers to reduce working hours and even suspend contracts. Also in this group were those unable to return to work, either because the company could not withstand the temporary shutdown and folded or because the company adjusted its workforce once economy opened again, what made some employees redundant.
[[File:Logo_MonografíaSpain_Evolution-in-registered-unemployment_2015-2020_statisticalgraph_17839_eng.jpg|left|thumb|300px|MapStatistical graph: Registred Evolution in registered unemployment by sex and age. 20182015-20192020. Spain.]][[File:Logo_MonografíaSpain_Registered-unemployment-by-sex-and-age-during-the-first-wave-of-the-pandemic_2019-2020_map_17838_eng.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Map: Registred Registered unemployment by sex and age during the first wave of the pandemic. 2019-2020. Spain. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Spain_Registered-unemployment-by-sex-and-age-during-the-first-wave-of-the-pandemic_2019-2020_map_17838_eng.pdf PDF]. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Spain_Registered-unemployment-by-sex-and-age-during-the-first-wave-of-the-pandemic_2019-2020_map_17838_eng.zip Data].]] Some of the workers who lost their jobs were classified as unemployed for statistical purposes (unemployed are considered those who do not have a job but are available to work and actively seeking employment). Others chose to leave the labour market and join the economically inactive population. The amount of people classified as unemployed depends on the requirements that shall be met to be considered as such. There are two statistical sources usually used to measure unemployment, i.e. ‘registered unemployment’ carried out by the National Public Employment Service, and ‘estimated unemployment according to the Labour Force Survey’, accomplished by the National Statistics Institute. These data are produced by two different institutions and have differing public purposes, i.e. the former aims at protecting jobs, whilst the latter is purely statistical. They provide different pieces of information and measure different concepts. Therefore, their figures differ.
Unemployment registered by the National Public Employment Service is an administrative statistic obtained from the register of job seekers, which excludes anyone not meeting the requirements to be included in this register. These data may only provide a limited analysis of the general trends followed by employment as they may not be used to calculate the unemployment rate and are based on a subjective classification of unemployed. Nevertheless, a general overview on the impact of the health crisis on employment may be inferred from these data.
The distribution of registered unemployed by sex and age did not change during this period. Women were the majority in all regions, and only around 8% of registered unemployed were under 25 years of age. Many unemployed registered as job seekers in order to receive the unemployment benefit they were entitled to, which is linked to the time they were employed in their previous jobs and paying contributions to the Social Security system. As a result, many young people in this group may have not registered as job seekers as they had not worked enough time to earn the right to this benefit.
[[File:Logo_MonografíaSpain_Registered-unemployment-by-economic-sector_2018-2019_map_17843_eng.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Map: Registred Registered unemployment by economic sector. 2018-2019. Spain. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Spain_Registered-unemployment-by-economic-sector_2018-2019_map_17843_eng.pdf PDF]. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Spain_Registered-unemployment-by-economic-sector_2018-2019_map_17843_eng.zip Data].]][[File:Logo_MonografíaSpain_Registered-unemployment-by-economic-sector-during-the-first-wave-of-the-pandemic_2019-2020_map_17844_eng.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Map: Registred Registered unemployment by economic sector during the first wave of the pandemic. 2019-2020. Spain. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Spain_Registered-unemployment-by-economic-sector-during-the-first-wave-of-the-pandemic_2019-2020_map_17844_eng.pdf PDF]. [//centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/busquedaRedirigida.do?ruta=PUBLICACION_CNIG_DATOS_VARIOS/aneTematico/Spain_Registered-unemployment-by-economic-sector-during-the-first-wave-of-the-pandemic_2019-2020_map_17844_eng.zip Data].]] Registered unemployment dropped in all regions in the period from March to June both in 2018 and 2019. The drop was less severe in Catalonia (Catalunya/Cataluña), the Region of Valencia (Comunitat Valenciana), the Region of Murcia (Región de Murcia), Andalusia (Andalucía), the Balearic Islands (Illes Balears) and the Canary Islands (Canarias). As this period comes before the summer high season for tourism, recruitment levels are positive, yet never as intense as those registered during the summer. However, the effects of the pandemic become evident when comparing these months in 2019 and 2020. Data for 2020 show a general rise in unemployment throughout Spain. The situation in the Balearic Islands (Illes Balears), where the fall in employment led to a 63% increase in registered unemployed, is particularly challenging. The closure of borders to international tourists and the state of alarm that limited mobility for domestic tourists led to a standstill of tourism, which plays a crucial role in economy in the Balearic Islands (Illes Balears).
Provincial differences in the variation in registered unemployed and in the incidence of unemployment, shown on the map on [[:File:Registered Spain_Registered-unemployment -by -economic -sector -during -the -first -wave -of -the pandemic-pandemic_2019-2020_map_17844_eng.jpg|| ''Registered unemployment by economic sector during the first wave of the pandemic'']], may be attributed to two types of factors. Firstly, pandemic-related factors, in terms of restrictions on mobility and the incidence of the disease. Secondly, the production-related factors that define the economy of each province.
According to data from the Ministry of Work and Social Economy, the bulk of the monthly increase in unemployment by sector was concentrated in the service sector in absolute terms, which saw a rise of 206,000 in March 2020, 9% more than in the previous month. In relative terms, however, the rise was more significant in the industry sector (25,194 people and 9.15%) and, above all, in the construction sector (58,000 people and 22.9%). Finally, the group of people without previous employment recorded 4,984 new job seekers, increasing by 1.91%. From April to May 2020, registered unemployment decreased in the construction sector (23,717 people, -6.89%) and in the industry (262 fewer unemployed people, -0.08%). By contrast, registered unemployment rose, above all, in the service sector (40,784 more job seekers, 1.50%), in the agricultural sector (710 job seekers, 0.43%) and in the group without previous employment (9,058 people, 3.30%).
