Antoni Bassas' analysis: 'Unemployment is falling in Catalonia, but discontent remains.'
It's a credit to us that, with the amount of money we pay in Spain that never comes back, with a disastrous commuter rail service and a jammed AP-7 highway—in other words, with daily traffic jams—we're able to maintain these levels of economic activity. That's why social unrest, which isn't reflected in unemployment surveys, remains high.
The day brings us good news, which is that Unemployment has fallen to levels prior to the 2008 crisisIt's true that the latest employment data covers both Easter, when hiring increases, and the start of the summer season, when many contracts are also signed. But considering that, with a much larger population than 17 years ago, we have an unemployment rate slightly above 8%, with nearly four million people working, is good news.
If we look at the details, we'll see that, in Catalonia, commerce, transport, and hospitality are more important than in Spain and Europe. It's well known that these are lower-value-added activities, like tourism, and therefore have lower salaries. And in scientific and technical professions, with higher added value, we are above the Spanish average but below the European average. From all this, the conclusion is that our wealth divided by inhabitant, the famous GDP per capita, is above the European and Spanish averages but below that of Madrid, the Basque Country, and Navarre. Although we are the region (to put it in Spanish terms) that exports the most, we are also the one that receives the most tourism, to look at two contrasting situations. Thus, 24% of residents in Catalonia are at risk of social exclusion, slightly below Spain but three points above the European Union.
The glass is half full is clear: we have a strong economic activity that employs many people (which is why we have a foreign population that is approximately 5% larger than the Spanish average). The glass half empty is also visible: life in Catalonia is more expensive, and if the wealth we create does not reach everyone's pockets, and if access to housing is an impossible dream for many people, especially for young people who want to leave their parents' home, the result is paradoxical: in a context of economic prosperity, many household economies give.
And one last note: it is commendable that with the amount of money we pay in Spain and that does not come back, with a disastrous commuter service and a jammed AP-7 highway, meaning traffic jams every day, we're able to maintain these levels of economic activity. That's why social unrest, which isn't reflected in unemployment surveys, remains high.
Good morning.
