Unemployment increases by 9,228 people in October, reaching 566,496 in Catalonia

Madrid (ACN).- Unemployed people registered in the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC) rose by 9,228 people compared to September. The total figure is 566,496. The end of the tourist summer season and fruit harvest explains the increase of unemployed people in services and agriculture this October. Other sectors, such as industry and construction saw a very small decrease in unemployment, equivalent to a technical stagnation, which nuances the total figure. Unemployment in the industry sector decreased by 109 people, while construction decreased by 72. Unemployment in Catalonia has been increasing in the last 3 months in Catalonia, after 4 months (between April and July) of a continuous decrease. The opposition leader, Artur Mas, has criticised the Catalan Government for these figures.

In overall Spain, unemployment increased by 68,213 people, accumulating to 4,085,976 people. In Catalonia, unemployment increased in all provinces: 3,032 more people in Barcelona; 2,209 in Girona; 1,723 in Lleida; and, 2,264 in Tarragona. Lleida has seen one of the highest increases in the whole of Spain, only behind the Balearic Islands, Ciudad Real and Cuenca. Lleida is a rural province, producing the majority of fruit in Catalonia and with strong tourist activities in the Pyrenees area.

Regarding demographic patterns, 52.4% of unemployed people in Catalonia are men (296,704), while 47.6% are women (269,792). Regarding ages, 8.7% of the unemployed are less than 25 years old.

Artur Mas, president of the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Party (CiU), has declared that “these figures are the worst inheritance of the 3-party coalition government”, which has been ruling Catalonia for the last seven years and will very likely be stopped by the next elections on the 28^th of November.