Catalonia breaks the barrier of 4 million employed

BarcelonaAffiliates in Catalonia surpassed the 4 million mark for the first time. Specifically, according to data released this Thursday by the Ministry of Social Security, 4.01 million Catalans were registered as employed in June. Thus, compared to May, there are 37,053 more affiliates in the country, which is equivalent to an increase of 0.93%. The boost from the start of the summer campaign has thus driven the Catalan labor market to a new record; until now, it had been above 3.9 million workers for two months. Looking at the data from a year ago, the year-on-year change is also positive, at 2.63%, which translates to 102,763 more workers.

Regarding the volume of unemployed people, the Principality maintains the downward trend: unemployment decreased by 458 people compared to the previous month (-0.15%), and the total number of unemployed stood at 307,169. The figure of Catalan unemployed is the lowest in a June since 2007. Furthermore, as indicated by the data collected by the Ministry of Labor, compared to the same month last year, in absolute terms the number of people who cannot find work has fallen by 7,915, which represents a decrease of 2.51%.

In line with recent months, by demarcation, compared to May, Lleida once again led the growth in Catalan affiliations, with an increase of 2.86%. Girona followed closely, with employment growth of 2.74%. In Tarragona and Barcelona, the increase in people registered with Social Security was more moderate in relative terms, growing by 1.55% and 0.48%, respectively. On the other hand, Terres de Ponent is the only Catalan territory where unemployment is increasing (+1.71%), although unemployment is falling in Girona (-1.65%), Barcelona (-0.12%), and Tarragona (-0.02%).

By profiles, during June, the decrease in unemployment was concentrated among men (-825) and those under 25 years of age (-512). On the other hand, among people over 25 years of age, unemployment remained almost in line with the previous month. It also stands out that unemployment decreased among native workers (-3.36% annually) and increased among foreigners (+0.83%). According to the sector, unemployment fell in industry (-0.86%), services (-0.62%), and construction (-0.10%), but increased slightly in agriculture (+0.53%).

22.46 million affiliates

At the state level, a good employment trend is also maintained. The number of affiliates to Social Security breaks records in the rest of the Spanish territory, reaching 22.46 million. Thus, in the last month, 128,533 employed people were added, in what has been one of the best months of June in the historical series. “Spain prolongs the intense dynamism of its labor market, which behaves more favorably than that of the main European economies,” says Elma Saiz, Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. Foreigners added 86,630 affiliates throughout the State and already represent 3.45 million employed people.

Furthermore, according to data from the Ministry of Labor, Spanish unemployment fell by 28,739 people in June (-1.24%) and stood below 2.3 million for the first time since January 2008. Thus, the unemployed in the State fell for the fourth consecutive month, although this June they did so with a less significant reduction than in the previous three months.

Some "positive" data

The Minister of Business and Labor, Miquel Sàmper, has celebrated that the 4 million worker mark has been surpassed, while the unemployment figure stands at its lowest since May 2008. Sàmper wanted to emphasize these figures "in a context of significant transformation as a consequence of a technological and industrial revolution" that is affecting the labor market. Thus, in statements to Parliament, the minister assured that the affiliation and unemployment data published this Thursday are "positive" for Catalonia and urged to "consolidate them".

UGT of Catalonia has been more critical of the evolution and has assured that the Catalan economy, "which is capable of generating 100,000 net jobs in a year but only reduces registered unemployment by 8,000 people", is not managing to "qualify" and "incorporate" a significant portion of unemployed people into the labor market. In the same vein, the general secretary of Pimec, Josep Ginesta, stated that record employment has not translated into an improvement in the labor market because unemployment is not being reduced in absolute terms. For its part, Comissions Obreres —faced with the approval of the new budgets of the Generalitat— has demanded more resources to adequately address the socio-labor care derived from the extraordinary regularization process.