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The drop in the amount of workers affiliated to the Social Security system came together with a negative evolution in registered unemployment. In absolute terms, all regions registered an increase in the amount of unemployed, as evidenced by the map on the ''[[:File:Monthly Spain_Monthly-evolution -in -registered -unemployed -in -sales, --services -and -trade -during -the pandemic-pandemic_2019-2020_map_18529_eng.jpg|Monthly evolution in registered unemployed in sales, services and trade during the pandemic]]''.
In addition, over a million workers in the sales, services and trade sector were furloughed in 2020 (see the graph on the ''[[:File:Monthly Spain_Monthly-evolution -in -the -amount -of -furloughed -workers -in -sales, --services -and -trade -during -the pandemic-pandemic_2020_statisticalgraph_18532_eng.jpg|Monthly evolution in the amount of furloughed workers in sales, services and trade during the pandemic]]''), with April seeing the highest figures. From then on, employees began making a steady and rather quick return to routine work, and by September of the same year, just under 200,000 workers in the sector remained on furlough. This pattern was similar to that observed in the national economy as a whole, as evidenced by the sector’s percentage share on the total amount of workers on furlough, which ranged from 28% to 30%.
[[File:Spain_Evolution-in-the-amount-of-workers-affiliated-to-the-Social-Security-System-in-advanced-services_2019-2020_statisticalgraph_18587_eng.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Statistical graph: Evolution in the amount of workers affiliated to the Social Security System in advanced services. 2019-2020. Spain.]]
[[File:Spain_Evolution-in-sales-index-and-occupancy-rate-in-retail-trade_2019-2020_statisticalgraph_18588_eng.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Statistical graph: Evolution in sales index and occupancy rate in retail trade . 2019-2020. Spain.]]
The sudden arrival of COVID-19 and lockdown led to a major slowdown in the retail sector. The graph on the ''[[:File:Evolution Spain_Evolution-in -sales -index -and -occupancy -rate -in -retail trade-trade_2019-2020_statisticalgraph_18588_eng.jpg|Evolution in sales index and occupancy rate in retail trade]]'' shows that sales plummeted by around -32% during the first months of the pandemic in Spain (March-April 2020). Once the initial shutdown ended, the comparable sales rates remained negative, as many businesses were either not allowed to open or could not financially justify opening due to the restrictions imposed. As the lockdown measures were gradually loosened, a commercial landscape of businesses that had closed or been forced to change direction began to emerge. Only essential traders, such as food and pharmaceutical suppliers, escaped the closures. As a result, this key indicator of the commercial scene, which has always followed a positive trend, registered negative figures in February 2020. The effects on employment in this sector were even worse, with the positive pre-pandemic figures experiencing a remarkable fall during the pandemic.
The restrictions brought in to lessen the effects of the pandemic led to other changes for commerce, such as the public turning to local businesses for their essential products and, most importantly, the increase in the amount of people using e-commerce. Large distribution chains and smaller shops were forced to adapt to online trading as lockdown turned what had previously been a steadily growing trend into a sudden and widespread shopping habit. That said, even the sales volumes registered by e-commerce businesses took a hit during the darkest days of the pandemic, yet they picked up quickly as traders learned to adapt, and by the fourth quarter of 2020 had reached impressive figures.
