0.7% more people were employed, 894,500, in the A.C. of the Basque Country in the third quarter of 2002, according to the Survey on the Population in Relation to Activity (PRA), published by the Eustat every three months. The number of unemployed came to 80,300 persons and the unemployment rate stood at 8.2% of the active population.
These results imply a 7,300 person increase in the group of unemployed with regard to the second quarter of 2002. As a result of the above, the activity rate increased by 0.7 percent to reach 54.3%.
One in five active young people aged 16 to 24 are unemployed
In the third quarter the unemployment rate in the A.C. of the Basque Country was 8.2%, which represents a 0.6% increase with regard to the second quarter. The increase corresponded to all the groups studied, except in the province of Álava.
Thus, the male unemployment rate rose to 5.5%, although the female rate was much higher (12.2%) -one in eight women-. In this quarter Álava registered a 6% unemployment rate, almost one percent below the previous quarter, this being the lowest of the three quarters; Bizkaia rose one percent to 10%, and Gipuzkoa with a rate of 6.5% increased 0.6 percent in the same period. The youth unemployment rate rose almost two percent, affecting one in every five active young people aged 16 to 24, or 18.7%.
The unemployment rate for the A.C. of the Basque Country is practically identical to all the countries in the Euro Zone, reaching 8.3% in August (EUROSTAT). The rate for the whole of the European Union was slightly lower, 7.7%.
80,300 persons unemployed in the A.C. of the Basque Country
The number of unemployed rose 10% with regard to the previous quarter, 7,300 persons more, giving a total of 80,300. The number of unemployed increased in all the groups studied, except in the case of Álava, where the figure decreased by 1,300 persons, affecting a total of 8,800. The case of Bizkaia stands out, where the number of unemployed reached 50,700 persons, 6,400 persons more. 20,800 persons are affected by this situation in Gipuzkoa, 2,100 more unemployed than in the last quarter.
The group of unemployed who have been seeking employment for two or more years affects 16,600 persons, a fifth of the total, with a reduction of 4,200 persons.
The employed population increased for another quarter, approaching 900,000 personas.
The number of employed persons in the third quarter of 2002 was 894,500, i.e. 6,100 more than three months ago. This continues the rising trend of the last six quarters, although the rhythm of growth has slowed down.
By provinces, Álava practically repeated the previous result with 700 more employed, while in Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia the number of employed increased more notably by 2,600 and 2,800 persons respectively. The improvement affects males almost exclusively: 5,300 more work, as the results for females is practically the same as the last quarter (only 700 more found work).
With regard to the second quarter, the number of employed increased in three of the four economic sectors: in Agriculture and Construction by just over 1,000 persons in each case, and in the Services Sector by 4,500 persons. The number in Industry fell by 1,100.
With the increase in the number of employed, the employment rate also rose (percentage of persons employed over the total population aged 16 to 64) in all groups. In this quarter this figure stood at 63%, 0.4 percent more than three months ago, giving substantial differences between males (76.5 employed out of every 100 males of working age) and females (49.3 out of every 100). By provinces, the highest employment rate was that of Álava with 67.2% and the province which grew most in the last three months was Gipuzkoa, with a 0.6 percent increase.
Taking households as a reference, 3,500 more had all their active members unemployed, while the number of those with all their active members employed fell by 1,700.
39,000 persons more employed than a year ago
The active population grew with regard to the third quarter of 2001 by 39,000 persons, i.e. 4.6%. This rise was approximately 5.4% for women and 4% for men. By provinces, there are no relatively important differences, as the number of employed in the last 12 months increased by slightly over 4% for each.
Over the last year the number of employed in Industry fell 1.9% and increased for the sectors Construction and Services, 8.3% and 7% respectively. In this period the employment rate increased by 3 percent.
The unemployment rate fell two percent in the last year
The unemployment rate in the last 12 months dropped 1.9 percent, slightly over two percent for men and 1.5 for women. By provinces, the decrease was 4.1 percent for Álava, 1.6 for Bizkaia and 14 for Gipuzkoa.