Employment figures continue to improve in Catalonia as unemployment fell by 2,987 people in March. The figure represents a slight improvement, of 0.85%, compared to February, and places the total number of unemployed at 348,301 people, as reported on Tuesday by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy.
Compared to March of a year ago, unemployment fell by 23,185 people, which represents 6.24% less. “It is the March with the fewest people without work in the last 15 years. Despite international uncertainties, the Catalan world of work is resisting,” commented the Minister of Business and Labor of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Roger Torrent, in a tweet.
In Spain as a whole, registered unemployment in public employment service offices fell by 48,755 people last month, 1.67% compared to February. The decrease places the total number of unemployed at 2.86 million, the best figure in history. Unemployment fell in all the autonomous communities, with the exception of Madrid, and it did so to a greater extent in Andalusia (-15,284), followed by the Canary Islands (-5,775), Castilla y León (-4,446) and Castilla-La Mancha (-4,193 ).
The Catalan provinces where the greatest decreases were registered in March compared to February were Girona, with 2.45% fewer unemployed, followed by Tarragona (-2.1%), Lleida (-0.93%) and Barcelona (- 0.43%). On the other hand, in year-on-year terms, the drop in unemployment is led by Lleida, Tarragona and Girona, provinces that experienced a decrease of more than two digits, of 13.3%, 11.24% and 10.16%, respectively.
Services were the activity sector in which unemployment fell the most in Catalonia, with 3,510 fewer unemployed in March compared to February. For its part, in the industry it was reduced by 251 people; in construction, by 33, and in agriculture, by 23. However, the unemployed without previous employment increased by 830 people. Regarding hiring, 210,440 contracts were registered -14% more than in February-, of which 101,198 were permanent and 109,242 temporary.
