The microdata from the Encuesta de Población Activa (EPA) of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) for the second quarter of 2026 show significant differences by education level. According to an analysis by Asempleo 23.1 per cent of employees with primary education or less are in temporary employment, compared with 14.0 per cent of those with tertiary qualifications. There is a similar gap in unemployment: the rate is 21.8 per cent among those with primary education or less, 12.0 per cent among those with secondary qualifications and 6.2 per cent among university graduates.
The EPA is Spain’s official household labour market survey and forms the basis of this assessment. Asempleo interprets the differences as an indication that jobseekers with lower levels of education face greater barriers to securing permanent employment. Temporary contracts therefore often serve as an entry route into the labour market. These interpretations are the employers’ association’s assessment and go beyond the EPA’s raw figures.
At the same time, the authorities are stepping up checks on abusive contracting practices. The Inspección de Trabajo sent companies notices in June 2026 concerning around 31,500 contracts considered potentially unlawful contratos temporales or incorrectly used fijos discontinuos These were inspection notices and orders to review the contracts; whether they lead to penalties or conversion to permanent contracts depends on the outcome of individual assessments.
Taken together, the statistical evidence from the EPA and enforcement measures by the Inspección de Trabajo show that precarious employment among Spain’s least qualified workers is both documented and being addressed administratively. Targeted training provision and measures to stabilise employment, particularly for groups with little formal education, are obvious policy options. Whether and to what extent such measures reduce educational differences in temporary employment and unemployment can only be assessed over longer time series. The figures reported here relate specifically to the second quarter of 2026 and to INE EPA microdata analysed by Asempleo.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).