The gender pay gap in Andalusia has decreased by 1.9 points compared to the previous year and by 5.54 points compared to 2008, although men still earn 7.32% more in gross hourly wages than women. This is highlighted in the monograph «Women in the Andalusian Labor Market 2024,» prepared by the Argos Observatory (Permanent labor market prospecting system in Andalusia) of the Andalusian Employment Service, on the occasion of the celebration tomorrow, March 8, of International Women’s Day. Thus, according to the latest available data (2022), the average hourly earnings for women were €14.93, while for men it was €16.11.
This annual study analyzes the evolution of the female population in Andalusia and its distribution in the territory, providing data on the employment situation of women according to the Active Population Survey, describing the characteristics of female employment and levels of affiliation to Social Security, hiring, and registered unemployment, specifying the characteristics of jobs and the weight of women in job demand, distinguishing according to educational level and professional experience.
The monograph, which can be consulted at the address, dedicates a section to the participation of women in the job orientation programs developed by the Andalusian Employment Service and incorporates provincial and municipal information to understand in detail the situation of women in the labor market. For this purpose, it uses several statistical sources, mainly the Active Population Survey (EPA), the records of affiliation to Social Security, contracts, and registered unemployment from the Andalusian Employment Service.
In 2024, the female population affiliated to Social Security in Andalusia amounted to 1,601,038 women, 47.11% of the employed population, and women occupied 56.74% of the new jobs created in Andalusia (42,175 jobs out of the 74,326 generated in that period). By regimes, women are the majority in Andalusia in the Special System for Domestic Employees of the General Regime (95.59%) and among workers affiliated with the Agricultural General Regime (50.45%). On the contrary, they account for only 6.27% of those affiliated in the special regime for Sea Workers.
Analyzing the participation of women in the Andalusian labor market, the report indicates that the Andalusian female workforce (women aged 16 or older who work or wish to do so) amounts to 1,907,500 women and the female activity rate (an indicator that defines the number of people aged 16 or older who work or wish to do so among the total number of people in that age range) stands at 51%. However, despite the female workforce having grown by 26.14% in the last 18 years, their participation in the labor market is still lower than that of men.
However, it increases as their qualifications improve, so that in strata with higher education, the weight of the female population in the market equals that of males. In this way, the female activity rate exceeds 77% for those with university or doctoral studies and stands at 6.82% in the case of those without studies.
The Argos monograph also analyzes the reasons why women do not participate in the labor market, with the dedication to household tasks again being the most common reason (cited by 37.57% of inactive Andalusian women). In the case of men, the most common reason (66.47% of cases) is receiving a retirement pension.
Employed women and job characteristics
During the past year, in Andalusia, there were a total of 1,541,500 working women, accounting for 44.53% of the employed population (data from the Active Population Survey) in the community, with almost nine out of ten of them (86.96%) employed as wage earners in the Services sector (89.25%). This sector is the only one in the community where the number of female workers exceeds that of men. On the contrary, they are still underrepresented in sectors such as construction (only 5.83% of workers are women) or industry (25.81%).
On the other hand, the most feminized economic occupations are in catering, personal services, protection, and sales (employing 30.25% of Andalusian women) and professional, scientific, and intellectual occupations (23.26%), a particularly relevant fact given the highly qualified nature of these occupations.
Among them, as indicated by the Argos study, there is a lower trend towards self-employment (only 3.05% are business owners with employees), while 86.96% of the female employed population has wage employment. The temporality rate of working women in Andalusia is 3.19 points higher than that of men.
During the past year, around 27,900 new female jobs were created in the community, accounting for 35.63% of the total jobs created in that period, mainly in economic activities such as «other services,» with 11,400 more employed; hospitality (8,800 new jobs); information and communications (8,200 jobs gained); or health and social services activities (with 7,300 new positions).
Unemployed female population
The unemployed female population is 366,000 people, 53.64% of the total unemployed in the community, although it has decreased by 10.38% in the last year. The unemployment rate stands at 19.19% for women, five points higher than for men, and its incidence is also higher among younger women. In the last year, the female unemployed population in Andalusia has decreased by 10.38%.
The educational level of women is also closely related to their job opportunities. In fact, the incidence of unemployment is higher among women with lower qualifications, such as those with primary education (37.79%), and is only 11.93% among women with higher education.
Hiring and registered unemployment
The Andalusian Employment Service registered a total of 1,402,604 contracts to women last year, 43.65% of the total contracts.
The report points out that the high percentage of part-time contracts is a characteristic that distinguishes the labor market, both in Andalusia and Spain, although the entry into force of the Labor Reform that has eliminated hiring for a specific project has resulted in a significant decrease in the weight of employment contracts. During 2024, the proportion of temporary contracts registered for women was 63.35% and rose to 36.65% for permanent contracts.
On the other hand, a characteristic of female hiring is the high percentage of part-time contracts, so that last year the proportion of part-time contracts registered for women doubled that for men: 37.99% compared to 17.55%. This situation is not only due to an employer’s choice or need but to a choice by female workers to balance work and family life.
The report also notes that during the last year, 102,968 women left Andalusia to work, mainly to destinations such as the Community of Madrid (34.56%) and Catalonia (13.72%), while 52,527 women came to work in the community, resulting in a negative geographical mobility balance of 50,441 fewer workers.
Andalusian women in active employment policies
The study describes the participation of women in the active employment policies programs developed by the Andalusian Employment Service with the aim of improving employability and achieving labor market integration of the active population in Andalusia. During the past year, 80,727 Personalized Insertion Itineraries (IPIS) were initiated, of which 61.23% corresponded to women (a total of 49,432). Also, throughout 2024, six out of ten participants in the Professional Work Experience program were women, a total of 2,557.