Unemployment in Catalonia rose by 278 people in January
The number of people unemployed and registered as such with the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC) at the end of January increased by 278 people compared to December’s figures, a slight growth of 0.06%, according to data released this Thursday by the Spanish Ministry of Employment. Thus, the number of unemployed in Catalonia totalled 453,923. Despite this increase, the unemployment rates in annual terms has declined for 43 consecutive months and there are 64,157 fewer unemployed now than at the end of January 2016, which represents a 12.38% decrease. In Spain as a whole, unemployment has also grown and stood at 3,760,231 people at the end of January. This means that registered unemployment increased by 57,257 people in Spain, representing a 1.55% rise in comparison to last December.
Barcelona (CNA).- There were 278 more unemployed in Catalonia at the end of January than in the previous month and the number of people registered with the offices of the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC) stood at 453,923. However, this slight 0.06% increase in comparison to December is “the smallest increase for a month of January in the last 20 years”,Catalan Secretary General of Employment, Social Affairs and Families, Josep Ginesta, emphasised. Compared to January last year, there are 64,157 less people on the SOC lists, representing a 12.38% annual drop. Moreover, the unemployment rate in Catalonia has remained low for 43 consecutive months. In the whole of Spain, the number of unemployed at the end of January grew by 57,257 people compared to December, a 1.55% increase.
The sectors responsible for the monthly increase in unemployment figures were services and those who didn’t have a job before, whereas the number of unemployed in the agriculture, industrial and construction sectors fell in January. In the whole of Spain, unemployment also grew in the services and agriculture sectors, while it decreased in the industrial and construction services. It also fell amongst those who were already unemployed.
Hiring increased during January
Catalonia registered 226,590 new contracts during last January, 1,730 more than the number signed in December. In relation to January 2016, the number of contracts grew by 23,696, which translates into a 11.68% increase. From those 226,590 new contracts, 85.7% were temporary while 14.22% were permanent.
In the whole of Spain, 1,633,592 new contracts were signed in January, meaning a 3.85% decrease in comparison to December. However, compared to January last year, the figure increased by nearly 17%. In this case, the trend was even more accentuated than in Catalonia, since 90% of those new contracts were temporary while those permanent represented only 9.2% of the total.
Social Security affiliation fell
The number of members of the Social Security system in Catalonia stood at 3,158,369 people in January, representing a decrease of 31,068 members in relation to December but a 120,107 growth in comparison to January 2016.
In the whole of Spain, Social Security affiliation reached 17,674,175 people at the end of January, which represents a 0.98 decrease in comparison to the previous month. Despite this decline, which is usually seen after the Christmas season, it is the best monthly rate for the last 10 years.