The employed population for the A.C. of the Basque Country as a whole stood at 962,200, 9,700 less than three months previously, or -1%, according to Eustat data. As regards gender, this decrease affected both men and women, but it was the latter that suffered the greatest fall, with 6,800 less employed than in the previous quarter. Employment figures fell in all three provinces: Bizkaia with 6,000 net jobs less was followed by Gipuzkoa, with 2,000 and finally, Álava with 1,600 less.

The twelve-month period, on the other hand, saw the creation of 19,600 net jobs

The employed population grew over the year by 19,600 people, 2.1% more. This increase took place in all three provinces with 12,900 net jobs being created in Bizkaia, 4,800 in Gipuzkoa and 2,000 in Álava.

Over the period of the year, industry was the sector where most net jobs were created, with 10,200 more jobs, followed by construction, with an increase of 6,100 jobs and the services sector with 3,300. The primary sector, on the other hand, remained steady with the same number of jobs.

The services sector lost 7,300 net jobs and industry another 1,400 over the three-month period

As regards the fourth quarter of 2006, the most notable decrease was in numbers employed in the services sector, with 7,300 less jobs. Industry lost 1,400 net jobs, construction 700 and agriculture 300.

The employment rate, the percentage of employed people aged 16 to 64 out of the total number of people in this age bracket, stood at 66.9%, point nine per cent less than three months earlier. This rate stood at 76.4% for men, while for women it came to 57.1%.

By province, the highest employment rate was that seen in Gipuzkoa with 70.3% and showed a fall of point six per cent; it was followed by Álava with 68.1% and a decrease of 1.3 percentage points; Bizkaia had the lowest rate, with 64.5% and showed a fall of one percentage point.

Trend of the employed population since 1985. A.C. of the Basque Country. (In thousands)

Source: EUSTAT

It was estimated that in the first quarter of 2007 there were around 787,600 households in the A.C. of the Basque Country, of which close to a third had no active member. In almost 7 out of 10 households all the active members were employed, 4,600 more than the previous quarter, while those where all the active individuals were unemployed hardly rose at all (8,600 in total).

The unemployment rate remained steady

Labour market data for the A.C. of the Basque Country for the first quarter of 2007 showed that the unemployment rate remained steady as regards the previous quarter, staying at 3.4%.

In relation to the fourth quarter of 2006 and as a result of the evolution of the employed and unemployed populations, the activity rate fell by 0.6 percentage points, standing at 54.6% in the first quarter of 2007.

The female unemployment rate fell and the male one rose

The female unemployment rate fell to 3.7% (0.3 percentage points less) and the male one increased by point two per cent, coming to 3.3%. The youth unemployment rate rose by 1.6 percentage points, with unemployment affecting 5,500 active young people aged 16 to 24 (9.2%).

The number of unemployed women, totalling 15,400, diminished by 1,400. However, the first quarter saw the number of unemployed men increase by 1,300, making a total of 18,700 affected by this situation.

The unemployment rate for the A.C. of the Basque Country in the first quarter of 2007 was almost four percentage points lower than that of the Euro Zone countries. According to EUROSTAT- Statistics Office of the European Union-, the unemployment rate for February 2007 in this area fell by point three per cent during this quarter to 7.3%. The rate for the European Union as a whole in 2007, bearing in mind all 27 of its constituent countries (with the recent incorporation of Bulgaria and Rumania), stood at 7.4%.

The number of unemployed, which is to say people available for work who are actively engaged in making enquiries and seeking employment, was estimated at 34,100 in the first quarter of the year. By province, the number of people out of work in Álava, totalling 3,900, fell by 700 and put the unemployment rate at 2.7%; in Bizkaia, there were 21,300 jobless, 500 more than three months earlier, meaning that it still had the worst rate (4.1%), and in Gipuzkoa, where 8,900 were unemployed, it was estimated that there were 100 more out of work than three months earlier and the rate was the same as that of Álava (2.7%).

The unemployment rate fell by 1.7 percentage points over the year in the A.C. of the Basque Country

The unemployment rate fell by 1.7 percentage points over the year (from 5.1% to 3.4%), meaning that 16,300 people in the A.C. of the Basque Country left the jobless numbers between April 2006 and March 2007. The unemployment rate fell in all three provinces over the twelve months, starting with Bizkaia (2.2 percentage points less) and followed by Álava (1.8 points less) and Gipuzkoa (0.7 points less).

This twelve month period saw a point nine per cent rise in the female employment rate and one of 1.5 points for men. Employment rates increased in all three provinces as regards the first quarter of 2006: Bizkaia (1.6 percentage points), Gipuzkoa (1.1) and Álava (0.2).

SURVEY ON THE POPULATION IN RELATION TO ACTIVITY (PRA)

*p.p. = Difference in percentage points

Source: EUSTAT