Certain hotel staff on "fijo discontinuo" contracts started work earlier this season.

Certain hotel staff on "fijo discontinuo" contracts started work earlier this season. | Ultima Hora

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma02/05/2016 00:00
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Employment levels in the Balearics are beginning to return to those that existed pre-economic crisis, even if the regional ministry for employment recognises that there is still a way to go. The tourism industry, the most important sector of the economy in any event, is the one contributing most in this regard. Proof of this lies with the fact that the earlier tourism season has increased the number of employees who have "fijo discontinuo" contracts on the employment register. The seasonal tourism sector is the one that has most employees contracted under this arrangement, and the earlier start to the season has meant that more have been called back to work earlier than in previous years.

In the first quarter there were 36,220 active "fijo discontinuo" employees, i.e. ones actually working. This was the highest number since 2009. The government's director-general for economic affairs, Llorenç Pou, confirms that this is because of the increased early-season tourism demand and also because contracts have been changed from "fijo" (fixed) to the "discontinuo" variety, i.e. staff remain under contract but are laid off for a period over winter (when they can claim benefit).

In the years when recession was at its deepest, the unions denounced these changes of contracts on more than one occasion and also criticised the fact that "discontinuo" was being adopted by other sectors of the economy.

However, it seems that the increased numbers who were registered between January and March were as a result of the earlier season, with Easter in March having also been a factor. The Majorca Hoteliers Federation had indicated that 50% of hotels were open by Easter. More recently, the Palma Boat Show has helped to fill hotels in the city, while various sports events have been helping to increase hotel occupancy and therefore increase the numbers in active employment.