Catalonia breaks occupancy records and nears 4 million members
Registered unemployment falls and contrasts with the EPA of the first quarter
BarcelonaThe Catalan labor market has flourished during the month of April, with Easter in between. Catalonia reached the maximum number of affiliates since 2004, the start of the historical series, with an average of 3.92 million people registered with Social Security. According to data from the Spanish government elaborated from records, Catalonia added almost 77,000 employed people this April compared to last year – 2% more –, and more than 38,000 since March – 0.99% more.
In parallel, Catalonia also registered the lowest number of unemployed people since June 2008, despite the fact that there have been other years in which the reduction compared to the previous month has been more pronounced. April closed with 314,527 unemployed people, 11,190 fewer than last year, a decrease of 3.44%. Likewise, it is the second autonomous community with the most reduction compared to the month of March, with almost 9,000 fewer unemployed people (a reduction of 2.77%).
The improvement in employment and the reduction in registrations on the employment services lists are two trends since April 2021. The Minister of Business and Labor of the Generalitat, Miquel Sàmper, has stressed that the decrease in unemployment "occurs in all productive sectors, in the four demarcations and exactly the same between men and women". Likewise, he has highlighted "in a very special way" the reduction in unemployment among those under 25 years of age, by 11%.
Contrast with the EPA
The data provided by the Spanish government contrasts with the results of the Active Population Survey (EPA) in the first quarter, when unemployment grew in Catalonia by 24%, marking the worst start to the year since 2009. Jordi Garcia, professor of labor law at the University of Barcelona (UB), explained that the difference is due to the use of different methodologies: while the EPA is based on a survey, the ministry's data is based on the number of registered contracts and unemployment figures.
According to Garcia, experts have been discussing the divergence between the two methods for decades and argues that "it would be desirable for all of us to speak the same language".
The EPA is the data that is transferred for studies at the European level, and for this UB professor, it has "more scientific quality". He argues that "most people will not be able to locate the unemployment office closer to their homes" and that the public service's methodology "excludes certain people", such as those in training or permanent-seasonal workers who are inactive.
Records in the State
The labor market for the entire State also broke records in April. Employment reached a maximum of 22.1 million people affiliated with Social Security, an increase of 2.4% compared to last year and 1.02% since March. In this context, Sàmper has boasted that Catalonia has surpassed the Community of Madrid in number of workers for "the second consecutive month".
Likewise, for the entire State, unemployment fell by 62,668 people (-2.59%) and, for the first time since June 2008, stood below 2.4 million unemployed people.
The government has highlighted that figures among young people under 25 and among women are reaching lows. April was the month with the fewest young people registered on the employment services lists in the entire historical series, 169,693 people. Likewise, female unemployment was the lowest since September 2008, with 1.42 million women registered.