Lleida is one of the Catalan provinces where part-time work still leaves many people short of the hours they want. More than 7,600 workers in the province are looking to increase their working time, according to data from the Catalan government's Observatory of Work and Productive Model.
That figure is part of a wider labour underutilisation problem affecting 27,522 people in Lleida in 2025. The province recorded a labour underutilisation rate of 11.2% of its expanded active population of 244,802 people last year, its lowest level in 18 years, apart from the 7.6% recorded in 2007 before the financial crisis.
Labour underutilisation includes unemployed people, workers who want more hours, people who have stopped looking for work because they are discouraged, and those who are seeking work but cannot start immediately. The unemployed make up the largest group, with more than 12,000 people.
The main group beyond unemployment is the 7,648 people in involuntary part-time work. They account for about a quarter of the total underutilised workforce. The Ministry of Labour says Lleida had 28,600 people working fewer than 40 hours a week at the end of 2025, on permanent or temporary contracts, and almost 27% of them were looking for more hours.
Young people, women, foreign nationals and people with lower educational qualifications are most affected by these reduced-hour jobs. The pattern is especially relevant in agriculture, services, commerce and hospitality, sectors that often rely on temporary contracts or shorter shifts. For readers following labour data across Catalonia, see our news coverage.
Lleida's underutilisation rate is more than three points below the Catalan average of 14.4%. Across Catalonia, more than 631,000 people are in labour underutilisation, including 357,000 unemployed people and another 149,100 who would like to work more hours.
