Figures from social security show that in July there were 119,242 foreign workers signed on to the employment register in the Balearics - 7.7% more than in July 2017. The director-general for employment, Llorenç Pou, says that the figures are positive in that over the past three years there has been a recovery in the foreign worker labour force. Years of recession had led to these workers looking elsewhere.
Pou notes that over 22,000 are self-employed, suggesting that they (or some of them) are generating employment for others. The bulk of the workers (more than 96,000) are in general employment. There are specific and much lower figures for people in domestic service (4,879), in the farming sector (1.487) and in the maritime sector (426).
Italy contributes the most (15,290), followed by Germany with 11,765 and the UK (8,741). The loss of German and UK citizens who have left the Balearics has been compensated for by a rise in the number of Italians. There are more European Union workers than from non-EU countries, with 27 EU countries represented. The hospitality sector provides the most work - 44,047 employees and 4,470 self-employed.
All of this leads Pou to say that the labour market is highly dynamic at present, adding that the July figures point to there being 70,000 more people in employment than before the economic crisis. In all, there were 579,762 signed on with social security in July, three per cent more than last year.
