The interaction between employment and the economic cycle allows us to observe the behavior of cooperatives in Spain and to discuss the achievement of SDG-8. This analysis aimed to determine the employment-generating potential of Spanish cooperatives. An inductive methodology was used through automation in three analyses. The results found that decent and resilient cooperative employment is concentrated in four regions: Catalonia, Galicia, Extremadura, and Murcia. Over the period (2005-2020), cooperatives generate or destroy less employment than all Spanish firms during financial crises. Conversely, during a health crisis, the total of companies generates or destroy less employment than cooperatives. The forecast is that all national regions, except Ceuta and Melilla, will generate more cooperative employment in the short term.