The State Public Employment Service mediated in 319,700 hires in 2025, barely 1.7% of the total. This is the lowest figure since 2017 in absolute terms and the worst percentage in a decade.
The State Public Employment Service (SEPE) only managed to place 1.7% of the registered unemployed in 2025, its worst figure in nine years. According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), only 319,700 workers found employment through the mediation of public employment offices last year.
This figure represents the absolute minimum since 2017, excluding the atypical year of 2020 due to the pandemic. In relative terms, it is the lowest percentage in the last decade, far from the 3.2% reached in 2007, when the Spanish economy grew by 3.8% and the SEPE mediated in 543,600 hires.
A mission that does not include job searching
The very definition of the SEPE on its website, under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, omits any explicit mention of job searching. The agency describes itself as an entity to “contribute to the development of employment policy, manage the unemployment protection system, and guarantee information about the labour market.” Labour mediation is not listed as a priority objective.
This gap in its official mandate explains, according to labour experts, the agency's limited effectiveness. While the SEPE manages unemployment benefits — in May 2025 there were 1,686,936 beneficiaries, with a monthly expenditure of 1,944 million euros — its role as a bridge between companies and the unemployed is almost testimonial.
Temporary Employment Agencies gain ground, but also do not take off
Temporary Employment Agencies (ETTs) also do not achieve overwhelming figures, although they are twice as effective as the SEPE. In 2025, they mediated in 726,100 contracts, 3.9% of the total. Their best year was 2023, with 770,000 placements and 4.3% of the market. In the last decade, ETTs have grown by 69%, from 430,200 hires in 2015 to the current figures.
However, the bulk of hiring in Spain continues to be channelled directly between companies and workers, without mediation from any public or private service. Of the 15.645 million contracts signed in 2025, only 5.6% went through the SEPE or ETTs. In the first six months of 2026, contracts total 7.825 million, a 5.1% increase compared to the same period in 2025.
For readers interested in finding work, the conclusion is clear: relying on the SEPE as a pathway to employment is a strategy with very low success probability. Experts recommend complementing registration with the public service with active searching through private portals, networking, and direct applications to companies.
The figure for 2025 represents a setback compared to 2024, when the SEPE achieved 354,500 mediations. The downward trend, despite employment growth, evidences the loss of influence of the agency in the labour market. In 2007, with the economy booming, it managed to place 3.2% of those hired.
The Ministry of Labour has not made any statements regarding these figures. Meanwhile, the SEPE continues to manage unemployment benefits, which in May amounted to 1,686,936 beneficiaries, with a monthly expenditure of 1,944 million euros. The question many are asking is whether it is worth maintaining a service that barely places one in every 60 unemployed individuals.
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