Sharp Drop in Collective Dismissals
Catalonia recorded 86 job losses due to Expedients de Regulació d’Ocupació (ERO), official procedures for collective dismissal or temporary lay-offs, in August 2026, according to data published on Monday by the government's Observatori del Treball i Model Productiu. This marks a 49.1% decline compared to the 169 workers affected in August 2025 and represents the lowest monthly figure in five years. The current level is the lowest since November 2021, when no collective dismissals were registered. The August total also breaks a previous upward trend seen in July, which had reported 766 job cuts, a 127% increase year-on-year.
This is the lowest figure in five years.
Year-to-Date Figures Show Continued Decline
From January to August 2026, a total of 5,125 jobs have been lost through ERO procedures across Catalonia, 15.4% fewer than the 6,057 recorded in the same period of 2025. The significant drop is partly attributed to a sharp decrease in dismissals in May 2026, when only 439 workers were affected, compared to 2,696 in May 2025. August joins March and May as the only months this year to report lower ERO figures than the corresponding month in the previous year.
Regional and Sectoral Breakdown
Geographically, the majority of August’s ERO cases were concentrated in Barcelona province, with 71 affected workers, followed by Lleida with 15. No dismissals were recorded in Girona, Camp de Tarragona, or Terres de l’Ebre. By sector, services accounted for the largest share of job losses under ERO arrangements in August. Data collection and analysis are managed by the Catalan government’s labour observatory, part of the Department of Labour, through official filings submitted by companies initiating restructuring processes.
Reported by viaempresa.cat.
