Unemployment in Catalonia falls to lowest rate since 2008

The jobless total in Catalonia fell by 15,300 in the second quarter of this year to 431,300 people without a job, leaving the country's unemployment rate at 11.17%.  

The figures from the state statistics institute's labor force survey (EPA) show that the proportion of people out of work fell by 3.4% compared to the previous quarter.

Except for the third quarter of last year, it is the lowest unemployment rate since 2008, before the onset of the financial crisis, when the rate stood at 7.4%. 

As for Spain as a whole, the unemployment rate fell by 3.6% in the second quarter of 2019 to 14%, or some 3,230,600 people out of work.

With employment at 61%, an extra 40,200 jobs were created in the second quarter, making Catalonia the third community in Spain to create more jobs, after Madrid and Andalusia.  

As for Catalonia's four regions, Lleida registered the lowest unemployment rate, at 10.1%, followed by Girona with 10.5%, Barcelona with 10.9% and Tarragona with 14.1%.