The feeling that summer ends at the end of August extends to the job market. Although September is still a “business” month to enjoy the sun and the beach, the mandatory “back to school” puts an end to hiring to cover the summer period, already less massive at that time. It is therefore common for affiliation to decrease during the eighth month of the year, and this year it has been the case for 193,704 average employees, reducing the total number of contributors to Social Security to 21,189,402. The increase in the number of registered unemployed, this time by 21,884 people, is also typical of August, which brings the total number of unemployed in Spain to 2,572,121. However, despite the similarities in the scenario with previous years, there are positive notes: the decline in employment is somewhat more contained than in the August months preceding the pandemic and there has been no minor increase in unemployment since 2016.
The destruction of jobs (-0.91%) has pushed the total number of members away from the record of 21.3 million reached a few months ago, bringing the figure back to below 21.2 millionalthough it has managed to beat this mark five days a month. However, the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration highlights that Spain has 482,902 more affiliates than a year ago (+2.3%).
The increase in registered unemployment (+0.86%) keeps the total below the level of 2.6 million that the statistics managed to lose in June, and keeps the level at its lowest since 2008. In the last 12 months, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, there are 130,579 fewer unemployed (-4.8%).
Despite the loss of jobs in several sectors due to this end of season, the health and social services and hospitality activities with 2,172 more. Registered unemployment decreased in the agricultural sector by 2,337 people (-2.60%) and in the group without previous employment, it decreased by 3,150 people (-1.33%). It increased in Services by 20,189 people (1.11%), Construction by 4,187 people (2.11%) and Industry by 2,995 people (1.50%).
