Unemployment is increasing in the demarcation of Girona
Girona’s economy has had a bad start to the year, with an increase in unemployment and an unemployment rate that climbs to 12.47%. According to the Active Population Survey (EPA), in the first quarter of 2024 there was an increase of 14,400 unemployed in the demarcation. This increase in unemployment has occurred mainly in the services sector, while the other sectors have shown some recovery. Although industry, construction and agriculture have generated employment, this has not been sufficient to offset job losses in the tertiary sector. This has resulted in a loss of 10,800 jobs in this sector in the first quarter, mainly due to the off season and the end of the Christmas campaign. At the end of March, there were a total of 52,300 people looking for work in the Girona counties (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en-catala/).
Girona’s economy continues to slow down
According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), Girona’s economy continues to slow down. During the first quarter of 2024, employment has been destroyed and the number of unemployed has increased significantly. At the end of March, there were 52,300 unemployed in the Girona regions, with an unemployment rate of 12.47%. This figure is considerably higher than that of December of the previous year, with an increase of 14,400 people looking for work. The unemployment rate has increased by more than three percentage points in this period. In addition, during these three months, 2,600 jobs have been lost in the demarcation.
Differences between sectors
The industry, construction and agriculture sectors have shown some recovery in the first quarter of 2024. The primary sector has gained 2,400 workers, from 7,000 to 9,400. Construction has added 1,100 more workers, reaching a total of 29,400. But the sector that has experienced the greatest growth is industry, with an increase of 4,700 jobs, going from 71,000 to 75,700. Despite this recovery in other sectors, it has not been enough to offset job losses in the services sector. During this first quarter, 10,800 jobs have been lost in this sector, which has gone from having 263,600 workers to 252,800.
Conclusion
In summary, Girona’s economy faced difficulties at the beginning of the year, with an increase in unemployment and an unemployment rate that stood at 12.47%. Although there has been some recovery in the manufacturing, construction and agricultural sectors, this has not been enough to offset job losses in the service sector. We will have to pay attention to the evolution of the Girona economy in the coming months.
