Unemployment returns to a downward trend in November, falling by 2,423 people in Catalonia.
Employment has fallen slightly compared to October, but there are 83,258 more people affiliated with Social Security than a year ago.
BarcelonaAfter a slight increase in October, when unemployment in Catalonia rose by 2,423 people, the number of people registered on the public employment service lists returned to a downward trend in November. In the eleventh month of the year, the number of workers registered on the unemployment rolls in Catalonia fell by 3,119, a 0.96% decrease compared to the previous month. This figure means that over the past year, the number of unemployed workers in Catalonia has decreased by 11,156 people, a 3.35% drop compared to twelve months ago, according to data published this Tuesday by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy. With these figures, Catalonia ended last November with 321,376 people registered on the unemployment rolls.
Nationwide, unemployment also fell. In total, in November there were 2,424,961 people registered as unemployed in Spain, 18,805 fewer than the previous month (-0.77%). Compared to November of last year, the number of unemployed across the country fell by 161,057 people, a 6.23% decrease year-on-year. Thus, the percentage decrease in unemployment was greater in Catalonia than in Spain as a whole compared to October, but the decrease in Spain as a whole was greater than a year ago. According to the Ministry, this is the November with the fewest unemployed in Spain since November 2007, before the bursting of the housing bubble and the financial crisis. The Ministry, headed by Yolanda Díaz, also highlighted the decrease in youth and female unemployment. Youth unemployment fell by 5,476 in Spain, dropping below the 190,000 mark, the lowest total ever recorded for the month of November. Female unemployment remains at its lowest level since 2007, with 1,466,095 registered unemployed. Second Vice President and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, highlighted the fact that 41.3% of new contracts signed in November were permanent, which she attributes to the transformative policies "promoted by the labor reform." She stressed that the next step is to "share the benefits of this reform." In this regard, she reiterated that her ministry's objectives are to raise the minimum wage and implement time tracking "to stop unpaid overtime." Social Security membership falls
Despite the reduction in unemployment, the number of employed people fell slightly in November, both in Catalonia and across Spain, compared to October. However, the number of employed people is still growing compared to November of last year, according to data published by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. Catalonia ended November with an average of 3,880,302 people affiliated with Social Security, which means there were 2,555 fewer affiliates than in October (-0.07%), but 83,258 more workers contributing than a year ago, an increase of 2.19%. Across Spain, the average number of people affiliated with Social Security in November was 21,825,233, 14,358 fewer than in October (also -0.07%). Compared to November of last year, the number of affiliated people in Spain increased by 552,771, a rise of 2.45%. The number of women registered with Social Security remains at historically high levels in Spain, according to the Ministry, averaging 10,335,245 in November. This represents an increase of 247,902 women compared to a year ago. The improvement in women's employment has been 11.9% since before the labor reform, 2.6 percentage points higher than that of men. However, it is the influx of foreign workers that is driving renewed growth in the labor market. The number of foreign workers remains at record highs, approaching 3.1 million. This group of workers now accounts for 14.1% of all Social Security affiliates. "Employment in Spain continues to grow at a faster rate than in other European economies," stated the Minister of Social Security, Elma Saiz, highlighting that the number of registered workers is increasing "and doing so continuously in high value-added sectors such as Information and Communication and Scientific and Technical Professional Activities." The number of self-employed workers contributing to Social Security also grew in November. Thus, the number of self-employed workers remains at record levels in Spain, above 3.4 million, with 3,424,479, 38,817 more than a year ago, representing a growth of 1.2%.
