This is the result of the efforts of the residents of southern Gran Canaria in the face of pressure from Las Palmas, which has blocked the south of the island, the economic capital of the archipelago. The recent economic history of San Bartolomé de Tirajana is now the story of a municipality whose life revolves around tourism and which has learned to navigate global crises and political cycles. If we analyze the historical data of the labor market over the last twenty years, we see how southern Gran Canaria has gone from euphoria to total paralysis, only to ultimately lead a recovery that, at the beginning of 2026, has placed the municipality at employment levels not seen for two decades.
In the mid-2000s, San Bartolomé de Tirajana enjoyed near-full employment. In 2006, under the PSOE administration, the unemployment rate stood at an enviable 11,96%, with fewer than 2.900 unemployed. These were the years of the real estate boom and booming tourism. However, the seeds of the 2008 financial crisis were already germinating. By the end of that year, unemployment had jumped to 19,20%, marking the end of an era of optimism and the beginning of a long and difficult period.
With the turn of the decade and the arrival of Marco Aurelio Pérez (PP-AV) as mayor in 2011, the municipality faced the aftermath of the Great Recession. Unemployment reached alarming peaks of 23-25% between 2010 and 2013, coinciding with the sovereign debt crisis in Europe. San Bartolomé, despite being a major tourist destination, was not immune to the collapse in European consumption. However, from 2014 onwards, the municipality began a slow but steady decline in unemployment, falling below the 20% threshold in 2016 and closing 2019 with a hopeful 18,03%, just before the world came to a standstill.
The historical record of San Bartolomé reached its darkest chapter in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent border closures struck at the heart of Maspalomas. The unemployment rate skyrocketed to 26,87% in December of that year, with nearly 7.000 people on the SEPE (Spanish Public Employment Service) lists. It was a period of extreme vulnerability where the population, despite continuing to grow (now exceeding 53.000 inhabitants), was left without its main economic engine. In February 2021, the rate reached a peak of 28,43%, a figure that threatened the social stability of the southern part of the island.
What has happened in the last four years is worthy of study in economics schools. With the return of full connectivity and the renovation of hotel infrastructure, employment has returned with unprecedented force. Under the current PP-AV coalition government, unemployment has plummeted: from 14,20% in 2022 to 10,99% in January 2026.
In 2026, with a consolidated population of 54.976, San Bartolomé de Tirajana boasts one of the lowest unemployment rates among the larger municipalities in the province of Las Palmas. With its current 2.972 unemployed, the rate is significantly lower than that of Las Palmas (15,78%) or Telde (16,51%), solidifying its position as the island's employment haven and demonstrating a resilience that has allowed it to return to the peak figures of 2006, albeit with a more mature economic structure.
