According to the results of the Population and Housing Census of 2001, published by Eustat, corresponding to the section on the Active Population, at the end of the census reference year 45 of the 250 municipalities of the A.C. of the Basque Country had an unemployment rate below 5%. Although these were, in general, smaller, they also included medium-sized municipalities such as Oñati or Markina-Xemein with an unemployment rate of 5%.

These results should be seen in the context of the dramatic economic recovery during the final five years of the last century. Whereas in the 1991 census the unemployment rate for the A.C. of the Basque Country stood at 19.2%, and increased in 1996 to climb as high as 23.3%, by the end of 2001 it had fallen to 11.6%.

However, the average unemployment rate was exceeded in 50 municipalities, making up 46% of the total population. Of those municipalities of over 10,000 inhabitants, the ones on the left bank of the Nervión continued to have a high percentage of people out of work, despite the drastic reduction in numbers: Sestao went from 36% in 1996 to 19.3% in 2001, Erandio went from 31.4% to16.2%, Santurtzi from 31.6% to 16.2% and Barakaldo from 29.8% to 14.8%. The three capitals also halved their unemployment rates, although Bilbao continued to be the worst-affected by this phenomena: it went from 26.8% in 1996 to 14.8% in 2001, Donostia-San Sebastián from 22.5% to 11.4%, and Vitoria-Gasteiz, showing the most favourable results, went from 18.8% to 9.7%.

Between 1996 and the end of 2001 some municipalities of Gipuzkoa showed a notable recovery: Elgoibar went from 19.4% to 5.6%, Errenteria from 29.7% to 11.8%, Eibar from 21.5% to 8%, Ermua from 25.2% to 10.6% and Lasarte-Oria from 24.8% to 10%. Several of these municipalities were located in or around the district of Bajo Deba, whose overall unemployment rate went from 20.7% in 1996 to 7.4% by the end of 2001.

The district with the biggest fall in its unemployment rate was Encartaciones, going from 28.1% in 1996 to 12.5% in 2001.

Evolution of the working population

In the five years that comprised the inter-census period, 1996-2001, employment grew by 25.1% -173,307 more people in work. By province, Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia grew by around 25% and Álava by 26%.

This economic recovery seems to have followed differing strategies in each province. Bizkaia seemed to favour the services sector, which increased its weight by almost four per cent, to the point where it employed two out of three workers –65.6%-; in Gipuzkoa this sector gained weight, but only by 2.1 per cent –employing 58.5%-, while Álava stood at a half-way point –it rose 3.3 per cent, although it offered the least tertiary economy of the three provinces, employing 58.1%.

Greater Bilbao and the Donostia-San Sebastián district bettered the European average for tertiary economy

Only one in four people worked in industry in Bizkaia –23.6%- and less than one in three in Álava and Gipuzkoa –31.5% in both cases.

Only Bizkaia came close to the tertiary level of the European average –68.4% of the working population-, being only three per cent under, compared to nearly ten per cent for Gipuzkoa and Álava, and 5.6 for Spain.

Two districts bettered the European tertiary average: Greater Bilbao with 69.4% and the Donostia-San Sebastián district with 69.1%.

The only district in which the majority of the population continued to work in industry was Alto Deba –with 54.2%-; next in importance came Goierri –46.5%-, Bajo Deba –46.2%- and Duranguesado –43.8%. Other districts were below 41%.

In five years the number of entrepreneurs grew 10%, or 12,425 more people

Between 1996 and 2001 the number of entrepreneurs increased by 12,425. However, their weight in the overall number of people in work went from 18% in 1996 to 15.8% in 2001. Of the 136,416 entrepreneurs that there were at the end of 2001, just over a third –37%- employed staff.

The growth in the number of entrepreneurs was largely due –in 57% of cases- to new female entrepreneurs. It should be stressed that three in five posts created between 1996 and 2001 were taken up by women –60.8%.

Four in five temporary workers who joined the job market between 1996 and 2001 were women

While the outright growth of paid workers in steady jobs during the inter-census period was balanced in terms of sex, 65,284 men and 64,468 women, this was not the case for temporary paid workers, given that out of the 45,496 new temporary workers, 83.5% were women. This important rise meant that by the end of 2001, women had obtained the same weight as men as far as temporary work was concerned, while in 1996, 61% of temporary workers had been men.

The employment pyramid underwent few important variations between 1996 and the end of 2001: just over one in five employees occupied management or other posts requiring higher university training –21.2%-, support technicians fell from 16.6% in 1996 to 13% while clerical workers increased in number -from 6.1 to 9.6%- as did shopkeepers, sales staff and waiting personnel –from 12.7 to 14.6%.

The number of farmers and fishermen fell by 8%, leaving a total of 12,094 people. Other professions coming under the general heading of qualified workers –18.1% in 2001-, machinery operators –13.1%- and non-qualified workers –8.9%-, hardly varied in weight in the last five years of the inter-census period.

The distance between men and women in higher-level professions and management posts reduced from 16 points to 10 in five years

Of the 28,877 new directors, managers or executives appointed between 1996 and 2001, 61% were women. From 42% of management in 1996, women went on to account for 45% in 2001. It is true, however, that women continued to make up the majority in clerical professions –58%-, shopkeepers and waitresses –68%- and non-qualified workers –57.4%.

The number of students aged 16 or over fell 16.4% between 1996 and 2001, -33,905 less-, while there were 48,443 more retired people or pensioners –14.7%-, in both cases determined by the ageing population structure.