1,607 Aragonese workers have been affected by employment regulation files between January and April 2026, more than double the previous year. Collective dismissals have increased by 152% and the telemarketing crisis is the main source of job destruction.
The number of workers affected by employment regulation files in Aragón has surged in the first quarter of 2026. According to data from the Ministry of Labour, 1,607 employees were affected between January and April by some regulatory procedure, compared to 738 in the same period of 2025. The increase reaches 118%, a trend that contrasts with the national trend, where such procedures decreased for much of the start of the year.
The largest growth corresponds to collective dismissals (ERE of extinction), the modality with the greatest impact on employment. Between January and April, it affected 322 workers, compared to 128 in the same period of 2025, representing an increase of 152%. Meanwhile, temporary contract suspensions (ERTE) rose from 516 to 1,262 affected (a 145% increase), while working hour reductions fell from 94 to 23 workers.
Telemarketing, the main source of job destruction
The crisis in the telemarketing sector has become the main driver of labour adjustments in Aragón. The most significant case is that of Majorel, whose ERE, agreed upon last May, resulted in 407 dismissals in Zaragoza. It was one of the largest labour adjustments recorded in Aragón in recent years and occurred within a framework that affected nearly 770 workers across Spain. The company, part of the Teleperformance group, justified the measure for economic, organisational, and productive reasons, while trade unions denounced that it was part of a strategy to relocate activities to countries with lower labour costs.
This ERE is joined by the dismissals reported at Abai Business Solutions, where unions warn of a trickle of departures attributed to the transfer of campaigns to Latin America, which they describe as a "covert ERE." Additionally, the closure of the call centre at Zelenza CEX, located in the Expo area of Zaragoza, left 121 workers unemployed after the customer service of the digital bank Wizink was transferred to Portugal by the new contractor of the platform. The staff claims to have been left in legal limbo as neither the subrogation of employees nor the processing of a formal ERE took place.
Industrial adjustments also weigh in
Alongside telemarketing, several industrial employment regulation files have contributed to the rise. Notable cases include Mann+Hummel and Iberfoil, which have undertaken staff adjustments at their Aragonese centres. Although the number of affected individuals in these sectors is lower than in telemarketing, their impact is significant in terms of qualified employment and regional productive fabric.
The data from the Ministry of Labour includes both the files processed before the labour authority of the Government of Aragón, where most staff adjustments are managed, and those authorised by the ministry, which is competent when regulations affect workplaces located in several autonomous communities. However, the data still do not reflect the full intensity of the adjustments recorded this year, as some of the larger files, such as that of Majorel, were resolved after April.
What does this mean for workers and companies?
For affected workers, the termination of contracts implies job loss and the need to seek new opportunities in a labour market that, despite the overall good performance of employment in Aragón, shows pockets of destruction in specific sectors. Temporary contract suspensions (ERTE) provide a breather, but do not guarantee long-term job continuity. Companies, for their part, face the challenge of restructuring in an environment of rising costs and global competition, especially in services like telemarketing, where the temptation to relocate to countries with lower wages is constant.
Trade unions have denounced that many of these regulations conceal relocation strategies and have demanded that public administrations strengthen control and support mechanisms. The Government of Aragón, for its part, has launched re-employment and training programmes for those affected, although their scope is limited given the magnitude of the adjustments.
Looking to the future, the evolution of ERE in Aragón will depend on companies' ability to adapt to technological and market changes, as well as the decisions of the large companies that concentrate telemarketing activity in the region. Meanwhile, affected workers must remain alert to aid calls and deadlines for applying for unemployment benefits, which in the case of collective dismissals may include additional compensation agreed upon in ERE agreements.
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