Date Published: 02/09/2021
ARCHIVED - Unemployment falls back to level of December 2019 in the Murcia region
ARCHIVED ARTICLE This is the first time on record that unemployment levels have dropped during August
The monthly unemployment figures for Spain published by the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy relating to the end of August and beginning of September are positive across Spain, clearly showing that the labour market is recovering from the effects of the Covid pandemic.
This can be seen clearly in the Region of Murcia which reported a fall in unemployment of 5,078 individuals during August, driving the level of unemployment in the region down to its lowest point since December 2019.
As of September 1 there are 100,862 unemployed in the Murcian region, the fall of 18,157 when compared to the same date in 2020 representing an annual decrease of 15.26 per cent.
The momentum of the summer tourist season in which there is traditionally a higher level of temporary contracts issued has not slowed down, the result being that the unemployment level continued to fall during August, something which has never occurred since the current system of data reporting began, and is the sixth consecutive month in which the unemployment level has fallen in the region.
This decline is mainly due to the services sector, which has reported a drop in unemployment of 4.25%, 2,902 people less than the previous month. The number of those who have never worked before has also fallen by 1,466 (-13.99%) indicating that school leavers have found employment this summer, in agriculture (-6.41%), industry (-1.24%) and construction (-0.31%).
National unemployment figures for Spain:
During August the total of unemployed in Spain fell by 82,583, representing the highest drop in unemployment in a one month period since 1999, but there are still 3,333,915 people out of work in the country, 268,111 more than in August 2019, proving just how many were left jobless by the coronavirus pandemic.
Data from the Social Security system in Spain shows that 76,541 workers were registered in August, leaving the total figure at 19,477,505; 30,000 fewer than in February 2020, but 150,000 higher than August 2019, meaning that the Social Security registry has already managed to reach pre-pandemic levels.
Over the past decade or so, unemployment has risen in August, as this is typically a ‘holiday’ month and work activity comes to a halt in several sectors, but 2021 marks the first year that unemployment has dropped in August since 2013, when a negligible 31-person drop was reported.
The path towards a post-pandemic economic recovery in Spain has meant that 675,000 unemployed residents have regained employment since February, with six consecutive months of decreases in the unemployment rate; particularly large falls were reported in May, June and July.
IMAGE: Archive