And yet, in Las Palmas, they only put obstacles in the way, as is the case with the aging shopping centers. The municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, the hub of high-performance tourism in southern Gran Canaria, has registered a historic milestone in its labor market. In October 2025, the registered unemployment rate stood at 11.35%, representing the lowest unemployment level reached by the municipality since 2006. This figure not only demonstrates the full post-pandemic recovery of the tourism sector but also suggests a trend toward less seasonality and the consolidation of stable employment.
The current unemployment rate of 11.35% is the result of a dramatic reversal of the 2020 crisis. In that year, the unemployment rate soared to 26.87%, with 6.955 registered unemployed, due to the collapse of tourism. Since then, the number of unemployed has steadily declined. Today, the municipality has only 3.068 registered unemployed, a reduction of more than half compared to the peak of the crisis. It is important to note that the current rate of 11.35% compares favorably even with the pre-pandemic rate of 2019 (18.03%) and the 11.96% level recorded in 2006, indicating improved structural strength.
In the regional ranking of municipalities with more than 40.000 inhabitants, San Bartolomé de Tirajana ranks as the third municipality with the lowest unemployment rate in the province of Las Palmas, surpassed only by Arrecife (10.10%) and Puerto del Rosario (10.79%). Its rate of 11.35% places it well below other large urban centers such as Santa Lucía de Tirajana (13.61%), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (16.04%), and Telde (16.65%).
This privileged position reflects the resilience of the area's hotel and service sector, which has not only recovered demand but also generated net employment above pre-crisis bubble levels. The municipality's demographic stability, with a current population of 54.976, ensures that the drop in unemployment is a genuine economic phenomenon and not a statistical distortion due to a loss of working-age population.
