A significant improvement in unemployment in Catalonia
During the month of July, unemployment in Catalonia has experienced a decrease of 5,816 people, according to data published by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy. This reduction in unemployment has been mainly driven by the services sector, which has led the improvement in the labor market during the first months of the summer. This has brought the total number of people out of work in the country down to 324,966, which represents the best figure in the last 16 years, since July 2008.
Improvement in all branches of the economy
According to the data published by the department led by Yolanda Díaz, all branches of the Catalan economy have improved their performance during the month of July. However, the tertiary sector has experienced the greatest reduction in unemployment, with a decrease of 4,628 people compared to the previous month (https://correccioencatala.cat/com-estructura-text-catala/ ). Industry and construction have also recorded an improvement in their performance, with a decrease of 680 and 272 unemployed persons respectively. Even the agricultural sector has seen an improvement, with a gain of 66 workers (https://correccioencatala.cat/com-estructura-text-catala/).
Improvement of the labor market at state level
At state level, the number of job applicants has also decreased, with a reduction of more than 48,000 people, which represents 1.8% less than the previous month (https://correccioencatala.cat/com-estructura- text-Catalan/). This puts the total number of unemployed at just over 2.5 million, which is a low in recent history. As in Catalonia, the service sector has experienced the greatest improvement, with a decrease of more than 37,000 unemployed people (https://correccioencatala.cat/com-estructura-text-catala/). Industry and construction have also seen a reduction in unemployment, with 4,388 and nearly 3,000 less unemployed respectively.
An increase in employment in Catalonia
In addition to the reduction in unemployment, there has been a significant increase in the number of workers registered with Social Security in Catalonia (https://correccioencatala.cat/com-estructura-text-catala/). According to data from the ministry led by Elma Saiz, the country closed the month of June with 3.83 million people affiliated. Although the increase in employment has been slightly slower than in May, it is still positive, with an increase of 0.69%. Compared to June of the previous year, the expansion is more marked, with nearly 2.5 points of growth. These data place Catalonia as the leading territory in the creation of new employment throughout the State, surpassing even the Balearic Islands.
A general improvement in the labor market
At state level, the total number of workers affiliated to Social Security exceeds 21 million (https://correccioencatala.cat/com-estructura-text-catala/). Both in Catalonia and in the rest of the State, the hospitality and trade sectors lead the creation of new employment, closely followed by education. It should be noted that, despite this trend, there is also a significant increase in profiles with a high added value, such as those related to high technology and the knowledge economy (https://correccioencatala.cat/com-estructura- text-Catalan/). This trend is an example of the paradigm shift that is taking place in the productive model after the pandemic (https://correccioencatala.cat/com-estructura-text-catala/).