The job market in Elche closed October with an increase in unemployment, adding 333 new people to the Labora unemployment rolls compared to September. This increase brings the total number of active job seekers in the municipality to 17,760. The gender gap remains significant in the capital of the Baix Vinalopó region, as the majority of those registered are women, with 11,177 unemployed compared to 6,583 unemployed men. In the last few weeks alone, employment offices registered an additional 172 women and 161 men.
The month-on-month analysis by sector shows that the group of people with no previous economic activity saw the largest increase, adding 178 new registrations and reaching a total of 2,440 job seekers. The services sector, the main driver of the economy in Elche, also suffered a setback with 167 new unemployed, raising its total to 11,105. Construction and agriculture registered minimal increases of five and four people respectively, while industry was the only sector able to create jobs during October, removing 21 workers from the unemployment rolls.
By age group, those over 44 continue to make up the largest group with 10,666 unemployed, an increase of 68 people since September. The number of unemployed between 25 and 44 years old has reached 5,813 after an increase of 109 job seekers. However, the most severe proportional impact of the last month has been among young people under 25, a group that has seen a sudden increase of 156 new registrations, bringing the total number of youth unemployment in the city to 1,281.
Looking at the trends over the last 12 months, the data confirms that this negative trend is not merely temporary. Comparing the current situation with that of October last year, Elche now has 250 more unemployed people. This year-on-year worsening has affected 165 women and 85 men.
Paradoxically, the vast majority of the city’s productive sectors have fewer unemployed people today than a year ago. The service sector has reduced its unemployment figures by 295 people compared to 2025, industry has 278 fewer unemployed, construction has seen a decrease of 111, and agriculture has managed to reduce its unemployment by 51.
However, these positive sectoral figures have been completely offset by the sharp drop in the number of people seeking their first job. Elche currently has 985 more people in this situation than exactly one year ago. This pool of new job seekers is directly linked to the increase in unemployment among young people, as the number of unemployed under 25 has risen by 283 year-on-year, and the 25 to 44 age group has grown by 136, while the over 44 group has managed to reduce its numbers, with 169 fewer unemployed than in the previous year.