The wage gap has progressively narrowed in the archipelago over the last decade, going from -14.8% to around -4.7% in 2023, one of the lowest figures in the country as a whole.
This is evident from the data presented in the Parliament of the Canary Islands by the Minister of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jéssica de León, in the report ‘Women in the Labour Market in the Canary Islands’, prepared by the Canary Islands Observatory of Employment (Obecan)
The counselor stressed that the Canary Islands currently present better indicators than the national average in aspects such as the rate of female activity and employment, although she insisted that "this favorable evolution cannot satisfy us".
During her speech, the councilor defended the need to address this reality "from the unity of all political forces, social and economic agents, and society as a whole," with the aim of eliminating the inequalities that still hinder the full professional development of many women.
The counselor also highlighted the increase in female incorporation into the labor market, with 24,700 more active women during 2025, although she warned that significant structural inequalities persist. In this regard, she recalled that 55.9% of the inactive population in the Canary Islands are women and that the female activity rate stands at 56.74%, eight points below the male rate.
Among the main causes of female inactivity, he pointed out dedication to household chores, retirement, and studies. "We have the challenge of continuing to incorporate women into the labor market to equalize the female activity rate with the male one and so that we can increasingly incorporate more women into the labor market," he stated.
Regarding unemployment, De León indicated that the female unemployment rate continues to be higher than the male rate, with 14.25% versus 11.15%, although she celebrated that the latest Active Population Survey has placed female unemployment at 12.58%, the second best figure in the entire historical series.
Currently, the Canary Islands have 489,100 employed women, 136,700 more than in 2008, although there are still 65,400 more employed men than women.
Likewise, he warned that women continue to be concentrated to a greater extent in part-time and temporary contracts. Of the total part-time contracts, 64.73% correspond to women, while more than 55% of temporary contracts also fall on female workers.
Regarding the sectors of activity, he explained that the greatest female presence is registered in real estate, public administration, education, and healthcare activities, while construction and extractive industries continue to show very reduced female participation.
The counselor also insisted on the persistence of inequality in management positions and entrepreneurship. According to Obecan data, only 38.17% of management and director positions are held by women, despite more than 67% of people who completed university studies in 2024 being women. Furthermore, only 34.72% of entrepreneurship in the Canary Islands corresponds to women, and 32.11% are employers.
Measures to advance in labor equality
The Minister of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jéssica de León, highlighted during her appearance the launch of new tools to advance in labor equality and reduce the wage gap.
Among them, she highlighted the creation in 2026 of the Technical Table for Domestic Workers, coordinated by the Ministry together with unions and business organizations, to address the reality of a highly feminized sector, since 93% of the affiliated people in the domestic worker regime are women.
Likewise, he recalled the establishment of the Equality Commission of the Canary Council for Labor Relations, born within the framework of Social Concertation to analyze the labor and salary situation of women and promote agreements on equality.
Added to this are incentives from the Canary Employment Service to promote female hiring through programs such as Certifícate, Incentívate, or Retorno al Empleo, which increase financial aid when the hired person is a woman.
De León also highlighted the project ‘Opening Doors, Opening Opportunities’, aimed at women in prostitution or victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation, and defended collective bargaining and social consensus as "the best tools" to improve salaries and continue reducing the wage gap between men and women in the Canary Islands.
Add La Voz de Lanzarote as a preferred Google source.
Stay informed with the latest current news.
