First night of occupied polling stations ends without incidents
Citizens have slept in centers and organized activities to guarantee that voting stations are not sealed off by police
occupation
6,325 fewer unemployed registered in March in Catalonia
Unemployment in Catalonia fell by 10.7% in March in comparison to the same month last year, totaling 446,017 people. According to the Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social Security, 6,325 people left the unemployment lists last month, which represents a slight 1.40% decline in comparison to February. However, with this drop, Catalonia has now registered 45 consecutive months of declining unemployment in annual terms. The number of jobless also fell across the whole of Spain. There were 48,559 fewer unemployed at the end of March and the number of people without a job totaled 3,702,317. Moreover, the number of unemployed in comparison to the same month last year fell by 9.58%, the highest decline registered in March since the beginning of the historic series.
Unemployment falls by 20,145 in June, biggest decline since 2008
There were 20,145 fewer unemployed this past June in Catalonia in relation to the previous month, which sets the total number of unemployed at 450,060. Although unemployment usually falls in June, due to seasonal contracts and summer sales, the figure registered this year is situated in numbers not seen since December 2008. With this decline, Catalonia has now registered three consecutive years of declining unemployment in annual terms and June represents the fifth consecutive month in which the unemployment rate has decreased. Catalonia leads the unemployment decline in Spain, where the total number of people unemployed is now 3,767,054, the second lowest figure in the historic series.
Occupation grew by 25,700 people during the first trimester of 2016
Unemployment in Catalonia at the end of the first trimester of 2016 totalled 660,000 people, 98,100 fewer than in the same period last year. Thus, the unemployment rate was 17.42%, the lowest since the third trimestre of 2010, according to the latest Active Population Survey (EPA). Between January and March 2016, 25,700 joined the labour market and occupation grew in the industry sector. However, it decreased in the services, construction and agricultural sector. In the whole of Spain, unemployment rose by 0.25% this past trimester, setting the unemployment rate at 21% and totalling 4,791,400 people without a job.
88,000 fewer unemployed in Catalonia, the biggest drop since 2003
There were 87,900 fewer jobseekers at the end of 2015 in comparison to the end of 2014, which represents the biggest annual drop since 2003, according to the latest Active Population Survey (EPA). This represents the 10th consecutive month in which the rate of unemployment has decreased in Catalonia in comparison to 2014. The unemployment rate in Catalonia at the end of 2015 was 17.7%, 2 points lower than it was on the 31st of December 2014. In the whole of Spain, there were 678,000 less unemployed at the end of 2015, the biggest drop in absolute numbers. In percentage terms, the unemployment rate was 20.9%, still higher than Catalonia’s.
Catalan Government endorses 17 funding initiatives as an alternative to traditional banking
The Catalan Government has created the first certification that “guarantees” the quality of 17 funding systems which aim to be an alternative to traditional banking. The public business innovation agency, ACCIÓ, has accredited the first 17, which are private investors’ networks, crowd-funding platforms, crowd-lending systems an invoice traders. According to the Catalan Business and Occupation department, this certification aims to promote and facilitate Small and Medium-sized Companies (‘PIMES’ in Catalan) and Catalan companies’ access to alternative funding systems, which are considered a key factor for innovation and internationalisation and are a growing trending in Europe.