Lack of tourism results in unemployment growth of 11,203 in August

Unemployment grew in Catalonia by 11,203 people in August, according to figures released by the Spanish labor ministry on Wednesday.

In a month traditionally positive for work, the number of jobless increased to 480,642 people – this means 29.4% more than the same month in 2019 when there were 371,418 people out of work in Catalonia.

The growth is largely due to the lack of summer tourism in the country – the number of international visitors coming to Catalonia was down by 81.6% in July, the latest figure released.

As for the number of workers registered in the social security system, the figure fell by 0.68% compared to July at 3.34 million euros.

Quarterly unemployment data released by the Labor Force Survey on July 28 showed there were 472,900 out of work, putting the unemployment rate in Catalonia at 12.78%.