Unemployment fell for the fourth consecutive month in Catalonia
Unemployment in Catalonia dropped by 15,356 in June, leaving the total number of people registered as being unemployed at 615,576 individuals. It is the fourth consecutive month that the number of people registered as unemployed dropped in Catalonia. In the whole of Spain, unemployment also decreased last June. By the end of June there were 98,853 fewer people registered as unemployed throughout Spain.
Madrid (ACN).- Last June, unemployment decreased in Catalonia by 15,356 people. It is the fourth consecutive month that the number of people registered as unemployed dropped in Catalonia, according to data issued on Tuesday by the Spanish Ministry for Employment and Social Security. At the end of June there were 615,576 individuals registered on the Catalan Public Employment Service’s lists. In the whole of Spain, unemployment also decreased last June. By the end of June there were 98,853 fewer people registered as unemployed throughout Spain. It is the third consecutive month with an unemployment decrease, totalling 4,615,269 people being without a job and looking for a new position. The service sector is mainly responsible for such a fall. Traditionally, June is a month when unemployment decreases due to new summer jobs. Last June’s fall is the greatest since 2006.
Unemployment decreased throughout Catalonia
In Catalonia, unemployment decreased in all four provinces. The Province of Girona -where the Costa Brava is located- registered the highest unemployment drop, with 5.36% fewer jobseekers than those registered in the previous month. This represents an unemployment decrease of 3,022 people. After Girona, the Province of Lleida (north-western Catalonia) had a 4.73% unemployment drop, with 1,474 fewer individuals registered as unemployed than at the end of May 2012. The Province of Tarragona (where the Costa Daurada and Delta de l’Ebro are located) had 3,094 less people looking for a new job, which represents 4.42% less than the figures from last May. Lastly, the Province of Barcelona –in which around two thirds of the Catalan population are concentrated– registered the highest unemployment drop in absolute terms but the smallest percentage. In Barcelona Province there were 7,766 fewer people registered as unemployed at the end of June than those at the end of May, which represents a 1.64% drop.
Unemployment decreased in all sectors
In addition, unemployment fell in all the economic sectors through Catalonia, with the only exception being agriculture, in which the unemployment figures increased in Barcelona (with 113 more people) and Tarragona (with 70 more jobseekers), but decreased in Lleida (by 102 people) and Girona (by 72 individuals). The service sector is where unemployment dropped the most, due to the new contracts related to the tourist summer season. The service sector reduced unemployment by 4,857 people in Barcelona, 2,303 in Girona, 2,249 in Tarragon and 910 in Lleida. The construction sector also contributed significantly to the unemployment drop. In Barcelona it reduced unemployment by 1, 201 people, in Tarragona by 453, in Girona by 311 and in Lleida by 191. Additionally, unemployment in the industrial sector dropped by 1,144 in Barcelona, by 319 in Tarragona, by 197 in Girona, and by 143 in Lleida.
The number of new contracts increased in Catalonia
Last June, 19,576 more contracts were signed than last May, representing a 10.83% increase. In total, 200,266 new contracts were signed in Catalonia during last June. This figure also represents 3,521 more contracts than a year ago (a 1.79% increase). In the whole of Spain, there were 1,284,000 new contracts signed in June, 80,144 more than in the previous month, which represents a 6.66% increase compared to May 2012. Compared to figures from June 2011, the number of new contracts decreased by 28,296, translating to 2.16% fewer new contracts signed. Only 10.16% of all the signed new contracts were for an indefinite term, while the rest were temporary (89.84%). Compared to last year, the number of indefinite-term contracts increased a little, as they represented 9.7% of the new contracts.
One out of three unemployed people do not receive a grant
423,518 unemployed people received some sort of grant. 226,352 received the benefits, while the rest received other sorts of financial assistance from the State, once the dole period was over. However, another group is not eligible to receive any type of grant. They represented 31.2% of all the unemployed people in Catalonia by the end of June.