The extraordinary regularization of immigrants pushes employment

BarcelonaEmployment in Catalonia once again rose above the four million mark. Specifically, according to data released this Friday by the Ministry of Social Security, 4.003 million Catalans were registered as employed in the month of September. Thus, compared to August, there are 38,014 more employed people in the country, which is equivalent to an increase of 0.96%. If we look at the data from a year ago, the year-on-year variation is also positive (+3.61%), and this translates into 139,583 more workers.

These figures have been driven by the extraordinary regularization process for immigrants. As detailed by the Ministry of Social Security, as of September 30, the number of regularized foreign affiliates in active status rose to 421,306 workers nationwide, which is equivalent to 83,389 more than on the last day of August. Furthermore, Catalonia stands as the territory with the most affiliates from the regularization process, with 83,409 new registrations since the process began, surpassing Madrid, which has 80,530. In the Spanish labor market as a whole, foreigners exceed 3.6 million affiliates for the first time, 16.2% of the total. That is 547,637 more than a year ago.

Nationwide, the number of Social Security affiliates broke records and stood at 22.43 million. Thus, in the last month, a total of 92,327 employed people were added, in what has been the best September in the historical series.

The unemployed rise

Regarding the volume of unemployed people, however, the total grew again in the Principality: unemployment increased by 604 people compared to the previous month (+0.18%), and the total number of unemployed stood at 330,072, according to data collected by the Ministry of Labor. In comparison with September of last year, in Catalonia there are 8,000 more workers who cannot find work, which represents an increase of 2.48%. By gender, unemployment in Catalonia affects 140,916 men and 189,156 women. In the case of male unemployment, it rose by 1.84% compared to August, while female unemployment decreased monthly by 1.02%.

In addition, according to data from the Ministry of Labor, in the whole of the Spanish territory, unemployment rose by 23,587 people in September (+1%) and stood at 2,379,505, the lowest figure for this month since 2007. This increase was driven by a strong growth in people who previously did not have employment: 14.19% this September compared to August, and 39.28% compared to the same month last year. According to data from the Spanish government, there are 38,057 people who previously did not have work who are currently unemployed.

Unemployment only falls in Barcelona

By territory, Lleida leads the increase in unemployment in Catalonia in the month of September, with 16,910 unemployed, 424 more (+2.57%). Compared to the same month last year, unemployment in Lleida has increased by 1,329 people, an increase of 8.53%. In Tarragona, unemployment grew by 1.3% compared to September, with 491 additional unemployed, an increase that rises to 771 people in the year-on-year comparison (+2%). The total number of unemployed in the province is 38,318. Girona also registers an increase in unemployed, but more moderate, of 1.13%, with 312 new people without work and a total of 28,032 at the close of September.

Barcelona is the only province that still maintains a reduction in unemployment, with 623 fewer people (-0.25%) than in August. There is a total of 246,812 Barcelonans unemployed. Compared to a year ago, however, the trend breaks and unemployment in Barcelona grows by 2.42%, with 5,820 more unemployed.

Regarding the number of contracts signed during the month of September in Catalonia, the total was 256,815. This figure is 40.85% higher than that of August, which is usual due to the start of the school term. If compared with last September, the increase is 8.31%. Of all the contracts, 47.7% were permanent, about 122,375, while the rest were temporary (134,440). In comparison with a year ago, there have been 12% more permanent contracts and an increase of 4.98% in temporary ones.