• The number of unemployed stands at 5,977,500 people and the unemployment rate is reduced by 0.9 points, up to 26.3%
  • The temporary employment rate drops to 23.1%, half a point lower than a year ago
  • The increase in the number of employed contrasts with the destruction of 15,900 jobs in the same period of 2012

In the second quarter of 2013 the job increased by 149,000 people compared to the previous quarter, according to the estimates of the Active Population Survey (EPA) prepared by the INE. In the same period of 2012, 15,900 jobs were destroyed. During the last year 633,500 jobs have been lost, a drop of -3.64% compared to -4.58% in the previous quarter. As for unemployment, its number decreased by 225,200 people, while in the same period last year it increased by 53,600. The total number of unemployed people dropped from six million to 5,977,500 and the unemployment rate dropped almost one point to 26.26%.

By sector, the creation of jobs focused especially on the Services and Agriculture sector. Their occupancy levels increased by 154,800 and 37,500 respectively. On the other hand, Construction lost 26,400 jobs and 16,800 Industry.

Once adjusted for seasonal factors (obtained with the TRAMO-SEATS model by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness), the total employment figures show an increase of about 13,100 employed and an inter-quarterly rate of 0.1%. This figure represents an improvement in the quarterly rate of more than one point compared to the one recorded in the first quarter.

The increase in employment has corresponded to 111,900 to wage earners and 37,300 to non-wage earners. On the other hand, this increase in employment came entirely from the private sector with 151,600 new net jobs while the public sector reduced its workforce by 2,600 workers. In seasonally adjusted terms, both those employed in the private sector and those in the public sector remained practically at the levels of the last quarter, with a slight positive variation for the former and negative for the latter.

According to job stability, it is observed that the increase in wage employment has been temporary. While undefined contract workers decreased by 50,400, temporary workers increased by 162,200. In relation to a year before, workers with an indefinite contract decreased -4.0% and workers with a temporary contract slowed their rate of fall to -6.9% (just over five points). After this result, the temporary rate increases to 23.1%, one point more than the previous quarter and a half point less than a year ago.

Full-time employees increased by 56,400 in the quarter and part-time employees increased by 92,500. With respect to the same period of one year earlier, full-time ones decreased by -5.3% and part-time ones increased 5.9%. These rates mean a slowdown in the fall of 1.1 points in the first group and a moderation of the rate of increase of 0.3 points in the second. Following these results, the weight of part-time workers increased 0.4 points in the quarter and 1.5 points compared to a year earlier. The bias rate that already reaches 16.4% constitutes a historical maximum.

The active population decreased with respect to the previous quarter 76,100 people (-0.3%). When correcting seasonally, this rate is -0.2% (four tenths lower than the first quarter). With respect to a year earlier, the active population decreased by 349,100 people, -1.5% compared to -1.0% in the previous quarter.

The decline in the active population responds to a decrease in the population over 16 years of 43,200 fewer people compared to the previous quarter and a slight reduction of just one tenth of the activity rate. This rate has been 59.5% and its decrease responds to the decrease in two tenths of the activity rate of men. The population decline has been distributed equally between nationals and foreigners. However, the reduction in the number of assets is supported by the loss of foreign assets (-82,400) since the national active population has increased slightly (6,300 people). In annual terms, the active foreign population drops at a rate of -6.1% while the national population does so to -0.7%.

Unemployment fell by 225,200 people (an increase of 53,600 was recorded in the second quarter of 2012). Once the number of seasonal variations has been corrected, this decrease is reduced to 52,900. It should be noted that the fall in unemployment in this second quarter is the second in importance of the historical series of the EPA (in the same period of 1999, 226,800 unemployed were recorded). Thus, the total unemployed stands at 5,977,500 people and the unemployment rate decreases by 0.9 points reaching 26.26% of the active population. When working with highlighted data this rate is reduced to 26.31% (- 0.2 points lower than the first quarter also corrected for seasonality).

The valuation of the EPA figures is, overall, positive. In a quarter in which the final GDP growth rate will mark a practical stabilization of economic activity, the quarterly occupancy rate is accompanied by this evolution, which implies an improvement in relative terms with respect to the preceding quarters. On the other hand, the decline in unemployment occurs in a magnitude that is clearly greater than the decrease in assets, which suggests that there is a turning point in the dynamics of the labor market. The Government hopes that these advances will be consolidated in the course of the coming quarters, especially as GDP growth returns to the positive pulse, for which it will be essential to persevere in fiscal consolidation and structural reforms, while the tone of income moderation and price containment is maintained.



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