Balearic unemployment suffers second highest increase in Spain

AS feared, the end of the summer tourist season has led to an increase in the number of people out of work in the Balearics.
Last month's unemployment figures were released yesterday and they revealed that the number of people out of work in the Balearics suffered the second highest increase in Spain with 3'636 people losing their jobs in September.

The unemployment rate rose by 4.9 percent taking the total of registered unemployed to 76'643, 3.6 percent more than in August and 6.3 percent higher than in September of last year.

The area worst hit was the service sector which lost 4'198 employees although jobs also went in the industry and agricultural sectors as well as the construction industry. However, the rate of unemployment in the building sectors has apparently slowed.

Local union leaders were quick to blame the government's unpopular labour reforms for the rise in unemployment.
Manuel Pelarda, the UGT General Workers' Union Secretary in the Balearics said that the new Central Government labour reforms, one of the main reasons for last Wednesday's general strike, are leading to greater unemployment.

He said that the number of people out of work in the Balearics continues to be at record levels and admitted that he is extremely worried about the situation. “The budgetary and structural measures being taken by Central Government are only going to lead to more jobs being lost,” Pelarda said yesterday. “The government has got to rectify its economic and labour policies. “It has to stop looking at the markets and start looking at the people. “We need greater public investment and social protection, not cuts,” he added. Pelarda went on to explain that the reason for the slow down of the rate of unemployment in the construction sector is because a number of hotels have already closed and begun winter reformation projects.

At a national level, Spanish unemployment also increased for the second month in a row in September despite some signs of recovery in the economy.
The number of unemployed increased 1.2% month-on-month in September to 4'017'763.
It was slightly less than the 1.6 percent increase in August that took the total figure to 3'969'661.
Joblessness had declined steadily since April.
Unemployment rose by 48'102 persons from the previous month. Year-on-year, the increase was 8.3 percent or 308'316 people.
In the same month last year, the country saw unemployment rise by 80'367 from the previous month to 3'709'447.