Unemployment in Catalonia rises by 4,573 people in November

Unemployment in Catalonia increased by 4,573 people in November and reached 462,969 individuals registered on the lists of the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC). According to the data released by the Spanish Employment Ministry and Social Security, unemployment saw a 1% rise in monthly terms. This increase in jobseekers is the highest registered in November since 2013. The Catalan Secretary General of Employment, Social Affairs and Families, Josep Ginesta, warned that the reduction of unemployment in Catalonia is “slowing down” due to the dependence on seasonal economic sectors. In this vein, he proposed the reconversion and reindustrialisation of Catalonia to create “more and better” jobs.  In annual terms, registered unemployment has decreased, with 58,681 less jobseekers, an 11.25% drop. 

Job Centre in Barcelona (by ACN)
Job Centre in Barcelona (by ACN) / ACN

ACN

December 2, 2016 06:47 PM

Barcelona (CNA).- By the end of November, the number of jobseekers registered with the offices of the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC) reached 462,969 people, according to figures released by the Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social Security. In monthly terms, the figures indicate that 4,573 additional people were registered as unemployed, a 1% rise since October. However, compared to last year, unemployment has decreased, with 58,681 less people on the SOC lists, a drop of 11.25%. Thus, Catalonia accumulates its fourth consecutive month of rising unemployment and November’sincrease is the highest registered in this month since 2013. The worst November of the data series, however, was in 2008, during the economic crisis, when unemployment rose by 24,837 people. 


Catalonia was the Autonomous Community with the third-highest increase in unemployment in November, behind the Balearic Islands and Galicia, with 11,388 and 4,614 jobseekers more, respectively. Only three communities saw a reduction in the number of unemployed people: Valencia, Madrid and the Basque Country, with 5,628; 3,646; and 3,481 less unemployed individuals.

The Catalan Secretary General of Employment, Social Affairs and Families, Josep Ginesta, warned that the reduction of unemployment in Catalonia is “slowing down”, especially for the highly dependent seasonal economic sectors, such as tourism. At a press conference this Friday to assess unemployment data, Ginesta said that 70% of new jobseekers, especially in the hotel sector, came from Girona (north-eastern Catalonia, where the Costa Brava is located) and Tarragona (southern Catalonia, where the Costa Daurada is located). Ginesta stated that Catalonia has to “reconvert and reindustrialise itself” to provide more and better jobs.

Agriculture and services the most affected sectors

The sectors responsible for the monthly increase in unemployment figures were services and agriculture, with respectively 5,112 and 33 extra unemployed people since October. The industrial and the construction sectors were the ones that saw a reduction in the number of unemployed people, with 432 and 782 fewer jobseekers, respectively.  

A 14% annual increase in the number of contracts

In November, 265,890 contracts were signed in Catalonia, meaning a 14.13% increase since last year. Despite this rise in the number of contracts, temporary contracts gained ground. 87.5% of the new contracts signed, a total of 232,657, were temporary and only 10.84% (33,233) permanent. 

50% of unemployed people receiving public money

Concerning unemployment benefits and social grants, 55.87% of the unemployed receive some sort of public financial assistance, meaning approximately 1 out of 2 people. However, only 26.33% of the jobseekers received an unemployment benefit, 120,698 people out of the 458,406 unemployed in October 2016 (the statistic always refers to the previous month of unemployment data). 

Number of unemployed also increases in Spain

In the whole of Spain, the number of unemployed grew by 24,841 people compared to October and stood at 3,789,823. In annual terms, however, unemployment decreased by 359,475 people, an 8.69% drop, the biggest fall since 1999.