Unemployment in Catalonia increased by 5,641 people in September
The number of people unemployed and registered as such at the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC) at the end of September increased by 5,641 people compared to the August figures, a growth of 1.27%, according to data released on Tuesday by the Spanish Employment Ministry. In total, last month there were 451,081 jobseekers. In annual terms, there are 62,106 less people on the SOC lists, a 12.1% drop in comparison to September 2015. In the whole of Spain, unemployment increased by 22,801 people in September and the number of people officially registered as jobseekers reached 3,720,297 individuals. However, within the last 12 months, unemployment in Spain decreased by 373,745 individuals, a 9.13% improvement over September 2015.
Barcelona (CNA).- At the end of September, the number of people registered at the offices of the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC) reached 451,081 people, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social Security. In monthly terms, the figures indicate that 5,641 additional people were registered as unemployed in September, a 1.27% increase since August. However, compared to last year, there are 62,106 less people on the SOC lists, a 12.1% drop from September 2015. The unemployment rate in Catalonia has remained low for 39 consecutive months. In the whole of Spain, the number of unemployed on the public employment services’ lists at the end of September grew by 22,801 people compared to August, which means a 0.62% increase. However, in annual terms, unemployment decreased by 373,745 people in the whole of Spain compared to the figures from 2015. The Catalan Government has lamented the increase in unemployment in September, a month when employment "historically" drops.
The sectors responsible for the monthly increase in unemployment figures were services and agriculture, with respectively 5,133 and 609 extra unemployed people since August. The industrial sector, on the contrary, registered a slight increase in employment, with 293 less unemployed people. Construction was the only sector that saw a large reduction in the number of unemployed people, with 1,297 fewer jobseekers.
A 34.84% rise in the number of contracts
In September this year 281,932 contracts were signed in Catalonia, an increase of 72,844 contracts or a 34.84% rise in comparison to August. Despite this increase in the number of contracts, 242,961 of the new contracts signed were temporary and only 38,971 permanent. In annual terms, the number of contracts signed has risen by 34,774 units, the equivalent to a 14.07% increase since September 2015.
Increase in Social Security membership
There has also been an increase in the number of Catalans registered within the Social Security scheme (the public protection system that provides healthcare, pensions, unemployment benefits and non-contributory grants to its members). Since August, 3,738 more people have registered with the system, a 0.12 % increase, and 119,282 more people have joined since September last year, a 3.9% increase.
In Spain, Social Security affiliation reached 17,712,021 people in September, which represents a monthly rise of 12,025 people, a 0.07% increase. The increase in registrations in September is the second highest since 2006. In annual terms, September ended with more than 522,206 members on average, a 3.04% increase.
“There have been more daily contracts than permanent ones”
The Catalan Government has lamented this Tuesday the increase in unemployment in Catalonia in September, a month when employment "historically" drops due to the productive activity recovery after the summer.
In a press conference to assess the data provided by the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, the Catalan Secretary General for Employment, Social Affairs and Family, Josep Ginesta, emphasised that one of the "pathologies" of the labour market is the increase in temporary employment. “From January to September there were more daily contracts than permanent ones”, Ginesta said with regret, and added that he is committed to revising the production model so that Catalonia is not dependent on both the services sector and the seasonal one. Ginesta also said that if in 2007 short-term contracts accounted for 25%, this percentage has now become 40%.
In this regard, he noted that these temporary contracts normally "last less than a month" and that 75% of them "last less than a week". "We must look for sectors that trawl for activity and generate stable employment contracts all year round", Ginesta assessed. "We live relatively well three or four months of the year, but the rest of the year exceeds the unemployment rates we should have", he noted. Therefore, the politician advocates "compensation" in the production model, strengthening the presence of sectors such as construction, agriculture and industry.