In 2022 a turning point in the labor market in Spain was reached with a phenomenon known as the “great resignation”, in which thousands of employees left their jobs and changed to other options with better salary or conciliation conditions. Since then, the number of voluntary casualties or resignations has not stopped growing in Spain. According to what was published by The newspaper2025 will mark a historical record in resignations, breaking the roof of the three million volunteers.
Do not say goodbye, I’m leaving. The official data of the General Social Security regime reflect this reality: in 2024, 2,886,670 voluntary casualties were registered due to resignations in indefinite and temporary contracts. These figures represent a growth of 4.4% compared to 2023 and more than double the resignations registered a decade ago, with 1,224,534 resignations.
According to the provisional data collected by the General Treasury of Social Security, in the first eight months of 2025, the barrier of the two million resignations have already been exceeded, and the forecasts suggest that the three million resignations could be exceeded at the end of the year, a historical record for the country. “Best behavior of the economy, greater propensity to change jobs,” he slid to the newspaper Levante Yésika Aguilar, director of Labor Relations at Treball.
The labor market has changed. This unprecedented figure is the reflection of the cultural and economic change that the country is experiencing. Workers are increasingly looking for a balance between life and work, stability and well -being in the workplace. On the other hand, companies are in a situation of shortage of qualified workers, so they cannot afford to lose those who are already trained.
The successive economic crises caused companies to apply strict cuts in terms of seniority and incentives for those employees who had more time. Similarly, work precariousness has forced employees to jump from employment in employment looking for the best working and salary conditions. That cultivation broth, cooked over low heat during several economic crises, has transformed the Spanish labor market causing employees to no longer feel attachment for their job.
Precariousness and Labor Conciliation. The growth in resignations is closely linked to work precariousness, but not strictly to temporality. As can be seen in the graph, the workers who renounce the most are those who have an indefinite contract. “There is a greater rejection of the toxic part of work and people value reconciliation and this explains greater rotation until they find proper employment,” he told The newspaper Oriol Cremades, UAB Labor Law professor.
On the side of workers with a temporary contract, low wages, minimum increases and temporary contracts of very short duration make many workers abandon the uncertainty of a temporary position for other more stable jobs or with better compensation. On the other hand, the elimination of incentives such as seniority or performance bonds has made employees with indefinite contracts do not feel to remain in the company compensates for it, which increases voluntary casualties. In parallel, the deterioration of the work environment, with the elimination of teleworking as the main point of friction, and the lack of care towards mental health have also been able to influence the increase in renunciations.
The Z generation and its relationship with employment. Another aspect to take into account is the emergence of generation Z in the workplace and its change of values with respect to work. This generation places conciliation and respect for mental well -being above antiquity or traditional economic incentives.
A 2025 Alan report reveals that 40% of Spanish employees contemplate giving up their work this year motivated by exhaustion and stress, looking for work environments that offer them work flexibility, conciliation and quality of life.
In WorldOfSoftware | “On Monday you do not count on me”: the involuntary resignation and by WhatsApp from a worker endorsed by the Supreme
Imagen | Unsplash (Yolk CoWorking – Krakow)
