Catalonia ends 2013 with less unemployed than in 2012 – a first since 2006

Madrid (ACN).- Catalonia has ended 2013 with 22,084 fewer unemployed people than in December 2012, with the total number amounting to 624,872 people, according to the Ministry of Employment and Social Security. The December figures, released this Friday, also reveal that the total number of unemployed people has decreased between December 2012 and March 2013, a first since 2006, two years before the start of the economic crisis. At monthly level, the number of unemployed people fell by 13,472 between November and December 2013. In the whole of Spain, the unemployment figures registered a drop, with 147,385 fewer people unemployed and the total number falling to 4,727, 814. While the number of new contracts signed in December 2013 has increased since the previous year, at both Catalan and Spanish level, temporary contracts are still an overwhelming majority.

Despite the decline in registered unemployment, the average number of people affiliated to the Social Security system in Catalonia has fallen slightly (-0.56 %) between December 2012 and December 2013, with 16,188 people fewer members. In contrast, the number of members has increased by 1, 428 people (+0.05 %) between November and December 2013. At the end of 2013, a total of 2,879,650 people were affiliated to the Catalan Social Security system.

At Spanish level, similar trends were registered. The average number of Social Security members has fallen by 85,401 people (-0.52 %) between December 2012 and December 2013. However, the number of affiliates has increased by 64,097 people from November to December 2013 (+0.39 %). In the whole of Spain, 16,357,640 people were members of the Social Security system.

Growing employment in annual terms, with a majority of temporary contracts

According to the Ministry, 165,883 contracts were signed in Catalonia during the month of December 2013, meaning 22,024 more than during the same month last year ( +15.31 %). On the other hand, there were 5925 fewer contracts signed compared to November 2013 (-3.45 %). 15,736 of these new contracts were permanent ones, while they were almost ten times more (150,147) temporary contracts.

The Spanish economy has registered over 1,290,853 new contracts in December 2013, 232,352 more than in December 2012 (+21.95 %). Likewise, hiring has increased by 49,374 people (+3.98 %) between November and December 2013. Among the new contracts, 83,792 were permanent and 1,207,061 temporary.

A decrease in the number of unemployment benefit recipients

The number of recipients of unemployment benefits in Catalonia in November 2013 amounted to 408,496 people. At Spanish level, the number of recipients of unemployment benefit at the end of November amounted to 2,801,262 people, meaning it was 6.7 % lower than during the same month last year. In November 2013, 61.43 % of the unemployed received benefits, whereas in November 2012, this figure had reached 64.29 %, indicating a decrease by 4.4%.

Unemployment drops in all sectors except construction

In the whole of Spain, the latest unemployment figures by economic sector have registered the following changes between November and December 2013. There are 8,890 fewer jobseekers in the agriculture sector (-4.25 %), 1,304 fewer in the industry (-0.26 %), and 87,253 fewer in services (-2.85 %). Construction is the only sector which registered an increase in the number of unemployed, with 6,309 more jobseekers (0.98 %). Finally, regarding the category of unemployed people who had never held a job before, unemployment is reduced by 16,432 people (-4.28 %).