Spain Reports 15.2% Schizophrenia Employment Rate in 2023 as Bipolar Disorder Reaches 38.3%
Updated
Updated · emjreviews.com · Jun 15
Spain Reports 15.2% Schizophrenia Employment Rate in 2023 as Bipolar Disorder Reaches 38.3%
1 articles · Updated · emjreviews.com · Jun 15
Summary
A nationwide Spanish study found 2023 employment rates of 15.2% for people with schizophrenia and 38.3% for those with bipolar disorder, far below the 62.5% recorded for adults with other diagnoses.
139,594 people with schizophrenia and 148,968 with bipolar disorder were tracked from 2018 to 2023, showing only modest annual employment gains of 2.2% and 2.4%, respectively.
disability pension receipt remained high at 49.3% in schizophrenia and 26.5% in bipolar disorder, versus 6.3% in other diagnoses, even as those rates fell over the study period.
Researchers said the decline in disability pensions may overstate labour-market progress because a fast-growing “other statuses” category suggests some people were administratively reclassified rather than moved into standard employment.
The findings place Spain in line with broader European evidence of persistently low workforce participation in severe mental illness and point to enduring structural barriers to occupational recovery.