Snapshot of women’s situation in the labour market in Barcelona
Unemployment among women in the city stands at 5.6%, the lowest on record. Even so, women’s unemployment still exceeds the figure for men. The wage gap between men and women has been cut to 15.7%, but three out of four positions of responsibility in companies are still held by men. These are some of the figures from the study “Women in the labour market” by Barcelona City Council and Barcelona Activa.
The report includes some positive data in labour terms and shows that women’s participation in the labour market in Barcelona is 6% above the figure for the European Union, although lower than the figure for men.
The fourth quarter of 2024 saw the lowest unemployment figure for women in the city since records began, at 5.6% below the rate for Catalonia (9%), Spain (11.9%) and the European Union (6%). However, women’s unemployment remains higher than men’s: women represent 55% of all unemployed people in the city and 59% of the long-term unemployed.
Salary gap, glass ceiling and sticky floor
In 2023, women’s average salary in the city was 32,377 euros a year, some 15.7% below the average salary for men (38,407 euros a year). The percentage was 1.4% lower than the figure for 2024, when the salary gap stood at 17.1%.
According to the survey on gender equality in the business network in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, compiled by the Chamber of Commerce and promoted by Barcelona City Council, only 25% of women hold positions of responsibility in companies in the area, even though they account for 41.3% of the entire workforce.
Jobs with the largest women’s presence are found in the sectors with the highest risk of labour precariousness, such as household and domestic work (83.3%) and sanitary and social services work (74.5%). These jobs are valued less socially and have lower wages.
Poverty and vulnerability
In 2023, some 24.1% of salaried women in Barcelona received monthly wages of €1,000 or less. Labour precariousness, part-time contracts, temporary work, feminised and poorly paid sectors, single-parent families and other aspects linked to diversity (functional, age, origin, social, cultural and LGBTI) are also determining factors that can contribute to greater labour vulnerability and a reduction in spending power.
Check out the study at: https://www.barcelonactiva.cat/documents/20124/49143/Dones-mercat-treball-2025.pdf


