INE: Unemployment Falls By 216,700 To 20% In Q2

29 July 2016 – Cinco Días

The number of people employed in Spain rose by 271,400 during Q2, up by 1.51%, according to the Labour Force Survey (EPA), published by INE yesterday. In terms of the creation of employment, it was the weakest second quarter since 2013 (411,800 more people were employed during the same quarter in 2015, and 402,400 more in Q2 2014). In seasonality-adjusted terms, the QoQ variation amounted to 0.29%, the lowest figure in the second quarter since 2013.

In terms of unemployment, the number of people on the dole decreased by 216,700 during the second quarter of the year to 4,574,700, down by 4.5%. The unemployment rate now stands at 20%, one point below its level in the previous quarter. In addition, that figure represents the lowest level since Q3 2010, when the rate stood at 19.59%. The unemployment rate also saw its lowest decrease in Q2 since 2012: during the second quarter of 2015, unemployment decreased by 295,600, in Q2 2014, it fell by 301,400 and in Q2 2013, it dropped by 230,900. During the second quarter of 2012, unemployment fell by 63,100. In seasonality-adjusted terms, the QoQ variation amounted to -1.90%.

Employment increased this quarter in: services (227,300 more), construction (45,600) and industry (15,700), and decreased in agriculture (17,200 less). In the last year, employment has increased in: services (439,100 more) and agriculture (19,800), but has fallen in construction (15,700 less) and industry (8,800).

By autonomous region, the highest increases in employment during the quarter were seen in the regions that receive lots of tourists, such as the Balearic Islands (56,000 more people were employed), Cataluña (53,700) and Murcia (28,400). The number of employed people decreased in the Canary Islands (11,900 less) and Navarra (4,200).

Quality of employment

The total number of wage earners increased by 252,700 during the second quarter (and by 425,500 with respect to the previous year), of which 86,400 signed permanent contracts and 166,300 signed temporary contracts. The temporary rate rose by 68 hundredths to 25.72%.

The number of self-employed workers rose by 15,700.

The number of full time workers increased by 301,100 and the number of part-time workers decreased by 29,300.

Households with every member unemployed

The number of households where all of the members are unemployed decreased by 117,100 during the second quarter of 2016, to 1,493,800, of which 361,000 were single-occupancy households.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the number of households where all of the active members are employed rose by 151,800 to 9,662,200, of which 1,833,400 were single-occupancy households.

Original story: Cinco Días (by C. Castelló)

Translation: Carmel Drake