The trend continues: unemployment falls and permanent contracts increase
Catalonia ends April with 364,000 unemployed, 6,700 fewer than in March
BarcelonaThe job market has continued its trend of recent months: less unemployment and more permanent contracts. According to employment data published on Wednesday by the State Employment Service (Sepe), the number of unemployed workers fell in both Catalonia and Spain and the proportion of permanent jobs now exceeds 48% of the total.
The number of unemployed registered last month in Catalonia was 364,698, which represents a reduction of 6,788 compared to March and of ove 132,000 compared to a year ago. These figures represent a 1.8% month-on-month decrease and a 26.6% year-on-year decrease.
At Spanish level, the decrease between March and April was 2.7%, i.e. 86,200 fewer unemployed. In total, then, in the State as a whole last month ended with 3,022,503 unemployed workers, around 888,000 fewer than in April 2021, representing a 22.7% year-on-year drop.
The vice-president of the Spanish government and head of Labour, Yolanda Díaz, recalled that Spain has "a serious structural problem of unemployment," but despite this, the data show that "things are going well." "It is important that after a huge pandemic unemployment was reduced by almost 900,000 people," she stressed at an event in Madrid on Wednesday, Mireia Esteve reports.
On this decrease, the minister indicated it is "the first time" the Spanish economy has fallen by 11% and yet unemployment has not increased by the same magnitude. According to Díaz, the state government has brought forward "different public policies" that have avoided "the same as always happening".
Fall in temporary employment
As has been the case since January, when the new labour reform came into force, the number of permanent contracts has risen in the State as a whole. In December, before the reform, this type of contract accounted for approximately 10% of all contracts signed that month, while 90% were temporary.
In April, permanent contracts accounted for 48.2% of new jobs. In absolute terms, this represents more than 698,000 of the 1.45 million employment contracts signed last month in Spain.
Díaz welcomed this rise: "The data are spectacular," she said. According to Díaz, temporary employment is no longer "that divine curse" that affected Spanish labour market, but has been reduced thanks to the reform: "When rules are made with affection, they can change reality," she has assured.
