employment service of catalonia

At the end of June 2014, the unemployment lists in Catalonia registered 570,214 people, 22,090 fewer than in May, and 47,074 fewer than in June of last year, according to the Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social Security. These figures represent a decrease of 3.73% in the number of unemployed between May and June, and even more significantly, a decrease of 7.63% between June 2013 and June 2014. This reduction of 47,074 persons in annual terms constitutes the greatest fall in unemployment registered in Catalonia since 1998, 16 years ago. Catalonia has experienced the largest decreases in the numbers of people unemployed of any autonomous community in Spain.

The number of unemployed people in Catalonia has decreased by 1.8% this August compared to the same month of 2012, with a reduction of 11,224 unemployed. The figures, released by the Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social Security, do however reveal that between July and August the number of unemployed people did in fact increase by 0.2%; although this is said to be because of temporary summer work coming to an end. According to the Catalan Secretary of Employment and Labour Relations, Ramon Bonastre, the 1.8% reduction illustrates that the economy is on the “right tracks”. However, he does admit that it is still an “insufficient” amount.