Unemployment resumes its downward trend in November, falling by 2,423 people in Catalonia.

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 last 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 in Spain there were 2,424,961 people looking for work, 18,805 fewer than the previous month (-0.77%). Compared to November of last year, the number of unemployed across Spain fell by 161,057 people, a 6.23% decrease year-on-year. While the percentage decrease in unemployment was greater in Catalonia than in Spain as a whole compared to October, the overall decrease in Spain was greater compared to a year ago.

According to the Ministry of Labor, 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 department, headed by Yolanda Díaz, also highlighted the decrease in youth and female unemployment. Youth unemployment fell by 5,476 people nationwide, dropping below the 190,000 mark, the lowest total for a November on record. Meanwhile, female unemployment remains at its lowest level since 2007, with 1,466,095 registered unemployed. Díaz highlighted the fact that 41.3% of new contracts signed in November were permanent, which she attributes to the transformative policies "driven by the labor reform," and stated that what is now needed is "to share the benefits of a functioning economy." In this regard, she reiterated that her ministry's objectives are to raise the minimum wage and implement a time registration system "to stop unpaid overtime."

For his part, the Secretary of Labor of the Generalitat, Paco Ramos, stressed the need to "ensure that the current macroeconomic prosperity reaches people through labor relations policies and collective bargaining, so that the number of jobs being created allows workers to see the benefits of this economic boom reflected in their wages." Ramos highlighted that "the employment and unemployment figures are very positive and reflect that the labor market is on the right track," and predicted: "If December doesn't take a turn for the worse, 2025 will end very positively in terms of the number of jobs."

"This November, the reduction in unemployment is mainly seen among young people, a positive sign for their integration into the labor market, and it is also “A positive message for our young people,” noted Josep Ginesta, general secretary of the Catalan employers' association Pimec, before emphasizing that, nevertheless, employers continue to express the difficulty they have in filling vacancies in the Social Security system. The union pointed out that this contradiction is due to the “significant weight” of seasonal activities in the Catalan production sector.

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," noted the Minister of Social Security, Elma Saiz, who highlighted that the number of registered workers is "continuously increasing 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 increased in November. Thus, the number of self-employed workers remains at record levels in Spain, exceeding 3.4 million, with 3,424,479, which is 38,817 more than a year ago, representing a growth of 1.2%.