How has unemployment developed on La Palma?

Registered unemployment on La Palma fell by 112 people, or 1.9%, to 5,716 in September 2026 compared with August. That is according to the report by the Observatorio de Empleo Canario (Obecan), published on Friday 2 October 2026.

The picture is different compared with September 2025: 5,647 people were registered as unemployed then. The current figure is therefore 69 people, or 1.2%, above the year-earlier level.

Of the 5,716 registered unemployed people at the end of September 2026, 3,264 were women and 2,452 were men. That corresponds to a share of 57.1% women and 42.9% men.

Month on month, the number of unemployed women fell by 2.0% and that of men by 1.8%, according to Obecan. Year on year, it fell by 0.1% among women and rose by 3.1% among men.

Which age groups are particularly affected?

61.55% of the jobseekers registered with the employment offices on La Palma are aged 45 or over, Obecan reported for September 2026.

A further 32.94% fall into the 25 to 44 age group. Only 5.51% of registered unemployed people are under 25.

How does La Palma compare with the rest of the Canary Islands?

Across the Canary Islands, the regional government's Consejería de Turismo y Empleo counted 140,303 registered unemployed in September 2026. That was 4,156 fewer than in August and 5,070 fewer than in September 2025.

The monthly decline across the Canaries was 2.88%, against 1.9% on La Palma. Year on year, the figure fell by 3.49% across the archipelago, while it rose by 1.2% on La Palma.

The Consejería de Turismo y Empleo, the Canary Islands regional government’s tourism and employment department, described the Canary-wide figure as the lowest level since December 2007.

How many employment contracts were signed on La Palma?

On La Palma, 1,630 employment contracts were signed in September 2026, 273 more than in August. That is an increase of 20.12%, according to the regional government's announcement.

Only La Gomera recorded a larger percentage increase, at plus 34.42% and 496 contracts, El Faro de La Palma calculates. Across the Canaries, the number of contracts rose by 16.31% in September to 69,644.

Across the Canaries, 31,341 of the 69,644 contracts were permanent, which is 45%.

How did unemployment develop over the year so far?

In the first nine months of 2026, unemployment on La Palma fell in five months: February, March, April, June and September. It rose in three months: January, July and August.

In May there was no change compared with April. That is according to the Obecan report.