Registered unemployment in Catalonia dropped by 7% in April compared to the previous year

In April, 12,645 jobseekers left the Catalan Public Employment Service's lists, which is the sharpest unemployment reduction for an April month since 1998. At the end of April there were 611,822 people registered as unemployed in Catalonia, a 2% drop on March figures and a 6.88% reduction compared to April 2013. This 6.88% annual drop is also the sharpest since June 2000. Furthermore, in annual terms, registered unemployment has been decreasing in Catalonia for the last 10 consecutive months, although April is traditionally a good month for employment due to the new contracts linked to Easter holidays. In the whole of Spain, registered unemployment decreased by 111,565, representing a 2.33% drop and leaving the total number of registered jobseekers at 4,684,301. In annual terms, it dropped by 6.11%, being the 7th consecutive month with annual reductions.

A branch of the Catalan Public Employment Service (by V. Rescalvo)
A branch of the Catalan Public Employment Service (by V. Rescalvo) / ACN

ACN

May 6, 2014 02:03 PM

Barcelona (ACN).- In April, 12,645 jobseekers left the lists of the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC), which is the sharpest unemployment reduction for an April month since 1998. At the end of April there were 611,822 people registered as unemployed in Catalonia, a 2% drop on March figures and a 6.88% reduction compared to April 2013, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Spanish Ministry for Employment and Social Security. This 6.88% annual drop is also the sharpest since June 2000, when there was a 9.25% drop. Furthermore, in annual terms, registered unemployment has been decreasing in Catalonia for the last 10 consecutive months. In monthly terms, it is the third consecutive month with reductions, although April is traditionally a good month for employment due to the new contracts linked to Easter holidays. Only in April 2008 and 2009 were there unemployment increases in this month of the year, taking into account the records since 1996.  In addition, there were 2,910,107 people contributing to the Social Security system in Catalonia at the end of April, a 1.38% increase on the previous month (+39,543 people).


In the whole of Spain, registered unemployment decreased by 111,565, representing a 2.33% drop and leaving the total number of registered jobseekers at 4,684,301. In absolute terms, it is the sharpest monthly drop ever registered in Spain in April, at least since 1996, when the comparable data records started. In annual terms, it dropped by 6.11% (304.892 fewer jobseekers) and it became the 7th consecutive month with annual reductions. In monthly terms, registered unemployment in Spain also accumulated 3 consecutive months of reductions. In absolute terms, Catalonia is the Autonomous Community with the second sharpest unemployment drop (-12,645), after Andalusia (-27,674) and before Madrid (-10,965).

Registered unemployment decreased throughout Catalonia

Regarding the four Catalan provinces, registered unemployment dropped in all of them. In the Province of Barcelona, where more than 70% of the Catalan population lives, registered unemployment dropped by 5,748 people, a 1.25% reduction on March figures. At the end of April there were 455,817 on the SOC lists, 34,517 fewer than the previous year, which represents a 7.04% annual reduction. Barcelona Province has accumulated 10 consecutive months of annual unemployment drops, the same as the whole of Catalonia.

In the Province of Girona – north-eastern Catalonia, where the Costa Brava is located – there were 54,859 people registered as unemployed by the end of April, 3,024 less than a month ago. This represents a 5.22% monthly drop, the sharpest in Catalonia. Compared to the previous year, in April 2014 there were 4,150 fewer jobseekers, a7.03% reduction, accumulating 9 consecutive months of unemployment drops.

In the Lleida Province – western Catalonia and the highest part of the Pyrenees – there were 30,664 people without a job and registered on the SOC lists. They represented 433 fewer than in March 2014, a 1.39% drop. In annual terms, the reduction of registered unemployment amounted 2,558 people, a 7.70% drop, the sharpest reduction in Catalonia. The Province of Lleida has accumulated 11 consecutive months with annual unemployment drops, a month more than the whole of Catalonia.

Finally, in the Tarragona Province – southern Catalonia, where the Costa Daurada is located – there were 70,482 people registered as unemployed, 3,440 fewer than a month ago, which represents a 4.65% monthly reduction. In annual terms, the reduction amounted to 3,948 people, a 5.30% drop. Registered unemployment has been decreasing in the Province of Tarragona for the last 10 consecutive months.

Registered unemployment drops for the 22nd consecutive month among foreign nationals 

Registered unemployment among foreign nationals living in Catalonia dropped by 2.73% in monthly terms and by 10% compared to a year earlier.  Registered unemployment has been decreasing among foreign nationals for the last 22 consecutive months in annual terms. By the end of April 2014, there were 611,822 people without a job and looking for a new one in Catalonia, 121,524 of which were foreign nationals.

Permanent contracts signed in April increased by 36.74% compared to a year ago

Temporary contracts continue to dominate the number of new contracts signed in April 2014. 197,989 new contracts were signed in Catalonia, 32,516 more than in April 2013, representing a 19.65% increase. In monthly terms, they increased by 22,875 new documents, a 13% growth. However, 170,695 were temporary and only 27,294 were permanent. Despite this fact, the number of new permanent contracts increased by 36.74% compared to April 2013.

38.5% of those registered as unemployed do not receive any benefit or social grant

After many years of economic crisis, many people registered as unemployed are no longer entitled to unemployment benefits and they have also dropped out of the social grant schemes, which only cover for a few months without receiving the dole. Out of the 624,467 people registered as unemployed in Catalonia by the end of March (this type of data is always given a month’s delay), 384,313 were receiving some public money, representing 61.5% of the total. 185,685 were receiving unemployment benefit, 167,019 were receiving the grant for having run out of unemployment benefits and 31,609 were receiving the minimum income grant, which aims to fight social exclusion. This means that 240,154 people were not receiving any public money at all, representing 38.5% of the total.