Zero layoffs in Girona during peak tourism month
The province of Girona recorded no workers affected by Expedients de Regulació d'Ocupació (ERO), official procedures for collective layoffs, in August 2026, according to data published Monday by the Observatori del Treball i Model Productiu of the Generalitat. This marks a continuation of the region's absence from ERO statistics during the summer peak, following zero dismissals in July as well. In June, seven workers in the Gironès comarca were affected, but no cases were reported in August across the entire province.
Catalonia-wide decline in collective dismissals
Across Catalonia, 86 workers were made redundant through ERO procedures in August, a 49.1% decrease compared to the 169 recorded in August 2025. This is the lowest monthly figure in five years, with only November 2021 recording no dismissals at all. The drop breaks a previous upward trend seen in July, when 766 workers were affected, a 127% increase from July 2025. The August figures bring the year-to-date total to 5,125 workers affected by EROs between January and August, a 15.4% decrease from the same period in 2025.
“The summer slowdown in Girona may reflect seasonal patterns in tourism and services, which could delay formal layoff negotiations,” noted an analyst at the Observatori del Treball.
Geographic and sectoral trends
The August dismissals were concentrated almost entirely in Barcelona (71 workers) and Lleida (15). The Camp de Tarragona, Terres de l'Ebre, and Girona all reported no ERO-related layoffs. Service sector jobs accounted for the majority of dismissals across Catalonia. The absence of ERO activity in Girona during the high tourism season may point to a temporary pause in formal restructuring, although the Observatori has not confirmed specific causes.
Year-on-year context
The year's cumulative total remains below 2025 levels, partly due to an unusually high number of layoffs in May 2025 (2,696), compared to only 439 in May 2026. August 2026 is the third month this year to show a year-on-year decline in ERO dismissals, following March and May. Despite the overall drop, the number of ERO procedures has increased by nearly 18% compared to the same period in 2025, reaching 172, suggesting companies are initiating more processes even if fewer workers are being laid off per case.
Primary sources: Observatori del Treball i Model Productiu. Generalitat de Catalunya, ocupacio.diba.cat, carlos nogueira. Reported by diaridegirona.cat, viaempresa.cat, lavanguardia.com, lavictoriadigital.com, ACN, europapress.es, girones.cat, observatori.elbaixllobregat.cat, Diari de Girona.
