Spain has exceeded 22 million Social Security contributors for the first time in its history, new labour market data published Monday showed, as Easter demand and growth in the services sector pushed employment to a record high.

The seasonally adjusted figure — which strips out the calendar effect — put the number of contributors at 22,010,532, after 80,274 jobs were added in March.

In average terms, enrolment reached 21.88 million following the addition of 211,510 employed persons, the largest increase ever recorded for a month of March.

In the unadjusted series, enrolment also marked an all-time high, with over 21.8 million people registered with Social Security.

The government said the number of contributors has risen by almost 3.4 million since 2018, with record female employment approaching 10.4 million. It also pointed to growth in permanent contracts and in higher-skilled sectors such as information, science and technology.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pre-empted the official figures with a brief post on social media — simply writing "22" — before later sharing a video to mark the milestone.

"You are the ones who raise the shutters, take care, teach and build this country," he said. "We are a team that is making history."

The labour market also showed improvement on unemployment. The jobless total fell 0.9% in March to 2.42 million, the lowest figure for this month since 2008, and has dropped by more than 160,000 over the past year.

Second vice-president and employment minister Yolanda Díaz said female and youth unemployment were at historic lows and attributed the results to labour reforms implemented in recent years.