MADRID – The unemployment registered with the Spanish public employment services at the end of February decreased by 11,394 people (-0.36%) compared to the previous month.
It is the largest decrease in February since 2015. Registered unemployment was 3,111,684 people. Compared to February 2021, unemployment has decreased by 897,105 people (-22.38%). It is the largest year-on-year decline in the historic series. Seasonally adjusted, registered unemployment fell by 35,734 persons.
Indefinite contracts
The total number of registered contracts in February amounted to 1,444,057, of which 316,841 employment contracts for an indefinite period. These contracts represent almost 22% of all contracts. That is a record in the history of the country where having a permanent contract is a luxury.
On an annual basis, this represents an increase of 184,410 permanent contracts (139.25%) compared to the same month of last year. Compared to the situation before the pandemic, the largest percentage increases in permanent contracts are in the agriculture and construction sectors. Many contracts were concluded for an indefinite period in particular in the construction and services sectors.
In total, 555,513 contracts were concluded for an indefinite period in January and February of this year. This represents an increase of 298,891 (116.47%) compared to the same period in 2021.
Unemployment by sector
By economic sector, compared to January, registered unemployment decreased by 11,238 people (-0.51%), construction by 7,199 people (-2.87%) and manufacturing by 2,625 people (-1.03%) .
In agriculture, unemployment rose with 6,543 more unemployed (4.41%), and the group with no previous employment ended in February with 3,125 more registrations (1.27%).
By gender and age
Among women in Spain unemployment decreased by 816 people (-0.04%) compared to January and stood at 1,840,647. Compared to February 2021, unemployment among women decreased by 464,132 women (-20.14%). Among men, it fell by 10,578 people (-0.83%) to a total of 1,271,037. On an annual basis, unemployment among this group falls by 432,973 people (-25.41%).
Given their age, the unemployment rate of young people under the age of 25 rose by 6,005 people (2.74%) in February compared to the previous month. The unemployment of people aged 25 and older fell by 17,399 (-0.60%).
On an annual basis, unemployment among 25-year-olds fell 38.5% to 225,480, the lowest figure in February in the historic series.
Unemployment by autonomous region
On an annual basis, unemployment has decreased in all Autonomous Communities. In February, registered unemployment in 9 autonomous communities decreased compared to January, with Madrid (-15,770), the Canary Islands (-2,022), and the Balearic Islands (-1,931) leading the way.
Benefits in January
The number of existing benefit recipients was 1,864,824 at the end of January. Total expenses for January 2022 amounted to €1.9 billion, a decrease of 27.5% compared to January 2021. The average monthly expenditure per beneficiary, excluding the agricultural subsidy from Andalucia and Extremadura, amounted to €1,047.9 in January 2022.
The total investment in ERTE benefits amounts to €80 million.
