Slight unemployment increase in Catalonia, reaching 20.05% in last quarter

Barcelona (ACN).- The number of unemployed people in Catalonia has risen by 1,500 people during the first quarter of 2015. The percentage has increased for a second consecutive period although the figures are better than a year ago. According to figures from the Spanish Government's Labour Force Survey, released on Thursday, 758,000 people are out of work in Catalonia and the unemployment rate has risen in quarterly terms. However the first quarter of 2015 has 82,100 less unemployed people than those in the same period in 2014, when the rate was 22.1%. Throughout the whole of Spain, the unemployment rate also increased since the previous quarter, reaching 23.78%.

In the first quarter of 2015 the unemployment rate in Catalonia is higher than in the previous quarter, passing from 19.88% to 20.05%. However, it is significantly lower than a year ago, when it was at 22.10%. The first quarter of 2015 has 82,100 less unemployed people than in March 2014.

On top of this, regarding the number of people with jobs, there has been an increase of 62,500 people in annual terms, reaching 3,023,200 individuals. However, the number of people employed decreased in quarterly terms, with 24,800 less people than in the fourth quarter of 2014.

The percentage of unemployed in Catalonia, with a rate of 20.05%, is 3.73 decimal points lower than the 23.78% of the whole of Spain but the percentage of unemployed has also increased in all Catalan provinces except for in Girona.

Unemployment registers quarterly increase throught Catalonia except in Girona

In the Province of Tarragona (southern Catalonia) the unemployment rate is at its most highest at 23.17% and in the Lleida Province (western Catalonia) unemployment rate has increased from 14.46% to 16.91%. The Province of Barcelona has only seen a very slight increase in unemployment from 19.5% in the last quarter of 2014, to 19.58% in the first quarter of this year whilst unemployment rate in the Girona Province (north-eastern Catalonia) has fallen from 22.41% in the previous quarter to 21.9% in the current quarter.

The size of active population drops

Although a rise has been recorded, in general terms the number of people fit to work in Catalonia has decreased in the last three and a half years and is now 204,900 less people than in the third quarter of 2011. The active population of 3,804,600 people in Catalonia has fallen from the fourth quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of 2015 with 3,781,300 people. The unemployment rate was below 20% in the third quarter of last year, where it maintained this position for two consecutive periods. It has not overcome such a high unemployment threshold since the third quarter of 2011. The Catalan unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2013 reached a peak at 24.45%.

In terms of gender, women's unemployment rate came to 20.21% and male unemployment to 19.90% in Catalonia. In terms of age group, 45.65% of those under 25 are unemployed. If in the previous quarter employment fell in all sectors except for in construction, this time it has fallen in all sectors but agriculture, in which employment has increased by 6.3%. In the first quarter of 2015, the employment census in construction has fallen by 1.9%; and in industry and public services 0.8% each. Employment fell in both the public sector (by 2,500 employees, 0.66%) as well as in the private sector (by 22,400 employees, 0.8% less).

Unemployment rate of 23.78% throughout Spain

Throughout the whole of Spain, the unemployment rate has also increased since the previous quarter. However, the number of unemployed has fallen from 13,100 people (the largest decline in a first quarter since 2005) to 5,444,600. Although the absolute number is less, the percentage has risen because the number of people fit to work has fallen by 127,400 people. The unemployment rate in Spain has fallen from 25.96% to 23.78% in the last year, although it increased in the last quarter.

In Spain employment has decreased by 114,300 people in comparison with the fourth quarter of last year, a variation of -0.65 %. The total number of people employed is 17,454,800. There are 504,200 more people employed than there were a year ago.

Catalonia leads the Autonomous Communities which cut down on jobs in quarterly terms, with 24,800 less employees. The Balearic Islands follow with 22,700 less jobs, and the Valencian Country (also called Valencian Community), with 19,000 less.

In annual terms, Catalonia is the Autonomy with the second lowest number of unemployed having achieved a drop in unemployment of 82,100. The first region is Valencia's (94,300 less) and Madrid's (74,100 less). Catalonia is also the territory that appears in second position after Andalusia, if the reduction of an active workforce is taken into consideration. In Catalonia it has decreased by 23,300 people; in Andalusia by 34,700 and in Murcia by 21,900.

The greatest reductions in unemployment rate with respect to the previous quarter are in Andalusia (36,600 fewer unemployed), Asturias (11,300 fewer unemployed) and in Murcia (10,000 fewer unemployed). The largest increases occur in Valencia and the Balearic Islands (over 19,400 each) and in Galicia (11,900).