According to data from the State Public Employment Service, compiled by the Economy, Innovation and Finance Department of the City Council, the number of jobless people in Madrid rose by 17.8% in the first three months of the year. Nevertheless, the unemployment rate is at 7.7%, keeping it below 8% and considerably lower than the 10.8% national average.

Although the Madrid labor market has seen a negative upturn compared to the end of 2025, the annual outlook is more favorable. The unemployment rate in the capital is 3.3 points below the national average and two tenths below the regional rate, which stands at 7.9%.

The year-on-year comparison reveals a substantial improvement, with a 13.9% drop in the number of unemployed compared to the same period last year. This translates to 24,500 fewer unemployed than in the first quarter of 2025, and a 1.3-point decrease in the unemployment rate, indicating a positive evolution of the labor market in the capital compared to the rest of the country.

The active population in the first quarter reached 1,966,000 people, an increase of 21,900 compared to the previous quarter. However, year-on-year, the number of active individuals decreased by 7,400 people. The activity rate was 64.4%, one tenth less than a year ago.

By gender, the male activity rate rose to 69.4%, while the female rate dropped to 60.1%. Year-on-year unemployment decreased for both men and women, though more intensely for men. The male unemployment rate was 7.2% and the female rate was 8.2%, maintaining the labor gap between the sexes.

Employment remained almost stable compared to the previous quarter, with a slight decrease of 1,100 people (0.1%), settling at 1,814,500 employed individuals. Nevertheless, compared to the same quarter of 2025, employment grew by 31,900 people, representing an increase of 1.8%.