The Spanish labor market closed the summer with a rise in unemployment and, at the same time, with a new historical maximum of people working, according to data released this Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
In the third quarter of the year, the number of unemployed grew by 95,900 people, which represents an increase of 3.8% compared to the previous three months. This is the largest rise in unemployment in a third quarter since 2020. In parallel, employment advanced by 73,600 people (+0.3%), the most moderate increase for this period since 2019.
Thanks to this employment advance between July and September, exclusively due to the contribution of the foreign population, the total number of employed reached an unprecedented maximum of 22,852,600 workers at the end of the summer. For its part, the total number of unemployed stood at 2,591,200 people and the unemployment rate climbed to 10.18%, three tenths higher than in the second quarter.
However, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business emphasized in an assessment sent to the media that this unemployment rate of 10.18% is the lowest in a third quarter since 2007, despite the increase recorded in these months.
The Summer Active Population Survey (EPA) also reflects a new maximum of the active population. The number of active people increased by 169,500 compared to the previous quarter, reaching a total of 25,443,800, which represents a historical record. With this, the activity rate advanced two tenths, to 59.5%.
After the extraordinary regularization process, the entire growth of employment in the third quarter fell on foreign workers, whose number of employed increased by 75,400 people (+2%), compared to the loss of 1,800 jobs among Spaniards (-0.01%).
Nationals also concentrated the largest part of the increase in unemployment, with 71,400 more unemployed in the quarter (+3.8%), while among foreigners, unemployment rose by 24,500 people (+3.9%).
The EPA also details that the increase in employment between July and September occurred exclusively in the public sector, which added 89,900 new positions, in contrast to the destruction of 16,300 jobs in the private sector.
In year-on-year terms, the number of unemployed has decreased by 21,900 people (-0.8%) and 465,500 jobs have been created (+2.1%). At the same time, the active population has grown by 443,500 people (+1.7%), consolidating the trend of increasing the workforce.
(((HABRÁ AMPLIACIÓN)))