- According to the Labour Force Survey (Encuesta de Población Activa, EPA) conducted by Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) and published today with data for the fourth quarter of 2025, seniors remain one of the groups most affected by unemployment, with 755,500 unemployed people aged 50 and over in Spain.
- Of these unemployed seniors, 397,900 are long-term jobseekers (having been out of work for 12 months or more), representing 53% of the total.
- Over the past year, unemployment among those over 50 has continued to account for 30% of the total in Spain.
- SAVIA, a project by Fundación Endesa in collaboration with Fundación Máshumano, supports these professionals and works to combat ageism in the workplace, aiming to drive a cultural shift that values generational diversity within companies.
Despite the overall positive evolution of employment in Spain, people over 50 continue to face significant challenges when trying to re-enter the labour market. This is reflected in the latest data from the Labour Force Survey (EPA) conducted by the National Statistics Institute, corresponding to the fourth quarter of 2025. Specifically, 755,500 people aged 50 and over are currently unemployed, representing 30% of Spain’s total unemployed population (2,477,100).
This figure summarises the situation for senior workers over the past year. Throughout 2025, the EPA shows that while the labour market has generally improved, unemployment among those over 50 remained largely unchanged. Quarter after quarter, their share of the total unemployed has stayed around 30%, confirming that senior unemployment still affects one in three jobless people in Spain.
This lack of progress is compounded by the high rate of long-term unemployment. More than half of unemployed people over 50, 53%, have been job hunting for 12 months or longer, which in absolute terms amounts to 397,900 individuals. This figure highlights the difficulty of returning to the workforce after reaching this age group.
The gender gap remains another structural feature of senior unemployment. According to the EPA, women over 50 account for the largest share of unemployment, with 437,800 (57%) out of work, compared with 317,800 men (42%) in the same age group. This difference once again underscores the double penalty of age and gender, a pattern that has remained virtually unchanged throughout the year and compared to the previous one.
In this context, many professionals over 50 are choosing to reinvent their careers, explore new sectors, or redefine their professional profiles as a way to access new employment opportunities. Faced with this reality, initiatives such as SAVIA, a project launched by Fundación Endesa in collaboration with Fundación Máshumano, have been supporting these professionals for over seven years, guiding them through career transitions, highlighting their talent, and promoting a cultural shift that values generational diversity in companies.
“Reinventing yourself professionally at 50 is daunting”
In a labour market characterised by a high concentration of unemployment among those over 50 and virtually stagnant figures over the past year, senior professionals are increasingly exploring new paths to maintain and regain employability. Transitioning to other sectors, updating skills, and redefining their professional profile have become common strategies at this stage of working life. This is the case of Ana María Gutiérrez, 52, a senior participant in SAVIA, whose experience illustrates both the challenges faced by this group and the opportunities that emerge when guidance is available during career transitions.
After an extensive career in major consumer multinationals and ICT companies, and having led her own eco foodtech startup, Ana María faced a period of professional uncertainty and decided to pivot toward sustainability. “Reinventing yourself professionally at 50 is daunting,” she admits. “It’s not something that happens overnight, but the experience and knowledge we seniors have built up over the years can be leveraged in many ways.”
During this uncertain time, she discovered SAVIA Green, SAVIA’s training programme for employment and entrepreneurship in the green economy. The training and personalised guidance allowed her to explore new career paths and connect her previous experience with emerging fields such as sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) projects. “It gave me a big-picture view of the sector and helped me understand how senior talent can tackle these challenges using existing skills while also acquiring new ones,” she explains. Today, Ana María works as an independent senior consultant on sustainability projects, collaborating with companies while also providing entrepreneurship training.
The story of José Ramón Bugarín, 56, is another example of how the right support can make all the difference in career change and reinvention after 50. A graduate in Industrial Engineering, José Ramón spent 25 years at the same industrial company until it closed in 2024, leaving him unemployed.
“It’s a tough blow. At this age, the future doesn’t look very bright, and everything can start to feel bleak,” he acknowledges. During this period of unemployment, he decided to rethink his career strategy and broaden his focus beyond his original sector. “I wanted to switch sectors, even if it was more complicated. I preferred to take the risk and go for it,” he explains.
After several months of active job searching, he came across SAVIA Impulsa, SAVIA’s career guidance programme, which helped him structure his search, refine his professional profile, and face the transition with greater clarity and support. Ultimately, that willingness to change paid off, allowing him to re-enter the labour market in a field different from most of his career. Today, José Ramón works as a corporate Production Director, demonstrating that sector mobility and a renewed approach can be key to staying active beyond 50.
The stagnation of unemployment among those over 50 highlights the need for a more inclusive labour market—one capable of integrating the experience, knowledge, and adaptability of senior talent. Promoting lifelong learning, facilitating sector changes, and eliminating age-related biases will be key factors in ensuring that professionals over 50 play an active role in transforming employment in Spain.
About SAVIA
SAVIA, a joint initiative by Fundación Endesa and Fundación Máshumano, has been driving employability for professionals over 50 for over seven years. It fosters networking, training, and recognition of senior talent, addressing high unemployment rates in this demographic. SAVIA is a platform and community that fosters collaboration and brings together initiatives to create job opportunities for senior professionals. To date, over 49,000 senior professionals and 870 companies are registered with SAVIA, while 200 partner organisations collaborate as part of the project. More information at: https://www.generacionsavia.org/
About Fundación Endesa
Fundación Endesa was established in 1998 as an expression of Endesa’s social commitment to respond to the needs of the environment in which it operates and to contribute to social development. On a daily basis, it strives to maximise its social impact through projects that promote high-quality education aligned with current challenges, provide opportunities for the most vulnerable, foster culture and art in Spain, and contribute to a more sustainable world by caring for the surrounding environment. More information at: www.fundacionendesa.org