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PEOPLE IN WORK INCREASE BY 22,457 IN FEBRUARY

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Staff Reporter / 2010-04-07 13:42:13

Figures released yesterday (6 April) by the Department of Social Security show that the number of people contributing to the Social Security System in Spain showed an increase of over 22,000 from February 2010 and that the country has now returned to positive growth in contributor numbers.

• The falling year-on-year rate slowed to -2.57% in March 2010, compared with -6.5% recorded in the same month of 2009
• There was an increase of 28,041 people in the Hotel and Catering sector and an increase of 12,572 people in the Social Services sector
• “Contributor data for the month of March 2010 show that the Spanish Social Security system is quickly moving away from the worst months of the economic crisis. We have now returned to positive growth in contributor numbers.”

The Social Security system recorded an average total of 17,594,808 contributors during March 2010, which represents an increase of 22,457 people when compared with February 2010. The year-on-year rate now stands at -2.57%, revealing significant improvement to the falling contributor numbers if compared with the same month of 2009, when the number of people contributing to the Social Security system fell by 6.5%.

By activity sector, the General Regime shows a month-on-month increase in the number of people employed in the following sectors: Hotel and Catering, with 28,041 more contributors (3.18%); Healthcare Activities and Social Services, with 12,752 more contributors (0.95%); and Education, with 3,682 more contributors (0.52%). The greatest contributor losses were experienced in the following sectors: Manufacturing Industries, with 9,859 fewer contributors (0.53%); Construction, with 6,510 fewer contributors (0.57%); and Trade and Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles, with 5,290 fewer contributors (0.24%).

The average number of contributors compared with February 2010 increased by 32,691 in the General Regime. There was an increase in the month-on-month rate of 0.25% and a decrease in the year-on-year rate, now standing at -2.88%. In March 2010, the average number of contributors registered in the General Regime stood at 13,255,716. The Special Self-Employed Professional Regime, which has an average total of 3,134,666 contributors, returned to positive figures in its month-on-month rate with a slight increase of 0.03%. Furthermore, its worsening year-on-year rate improved on February, now standing at -3.65%. The total for all other Regimes (Agriculture, Sea, Coal and Domestic) recorded an increase over the last twelve months of 48,615 contributors.

By gender, the number of women employed currently stands at 7,875,614; an increase of 30,306 female contributors on the previous month. It is worth noting that the year-on-year rate is nearing a return to positive figures and stood at -0.71% in March. In terms of male contributors, there were 7,849 fewer men employed than in the previous month and the total now stands at 9,719,194, which also means that the year-on-year rate for men is falling more slowly, now standing at -4.02%.

The average number of foreign contributors to the Spanish Social Security system increased for the second consecutive month and now stands at 1,828,230; an increase of 10,245 people compared with February.

Assessment by the State Secretary for the Social Security, Octavio Granado
According to the State Secretary, “The data regarding contribution to the Spanish Social Security system during the month of March 2010 confirm the forecasts we had started to make at the beginning of the year. These numbers show that the Spanish Social Security system is quickly moving away from the worst months of the economic crisis. We have now returned to positive contributor growth figures”.

The State Secretary for the Social Security stated that “For the first time in almost 20 months, we have seen growth in the Self-Employed Professional Regime. This is, without a doubt, good news because it indicates that the self-employment sector, which always leads the way in terms of general contribution trends, is starting to experience a greater recovery in the Spanish economy”.

Octavio Granado highlighted that “Employment among women is increasing further and there is also growth in employment among foreigners. This growth is particularly noticeable in tourism regions, understandable around the Easter period. However, other regions that had been suffering severely during the worst months of the economic crisis, such as the Autonomous Region of Catalonia, have also seen positive indicators”.

Mr Granado stressed that “In summary, March was a good month that would have been even better had the adverse weather conditions not so greatly affected the agriculture sector, where jobs have continued to be lost, confirming that we are going to alternate between more positive data and other still negative data this year. In other words, this will be a year of transition that we expect to end with a stronger exit from the economic crisis and a permanent recovery in employment”.

 

Tags: Social Security, Work